


My friend from the forest

by better_times_are_coming



Category: SEVENTEEN (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Supernatural Elements, Blood and Injury, Fluff, Friendship, Gen, Human!Seungcheol, Kid Fic, Vampires, vampire!jeonghan
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-21
Updated: 2021-02-20
Packaged: 2021-03-01 00:55:52
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 11
Words: 23,042
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23246644
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/better_times_are_coming/pseuds/better_times_are_coming
Summary: “Mom, but I’m not imagining things!” Seungcheol whined, pout prominent on his features. “There’s a boy on the forest. I really saw him! He's always there, at three am, looking at me!”Or:Human!Seungcheol and Vampire!Jeonghan really want to be friends.
Relationships: Choi Seungcheol | S.Coups/Yoon Jeonghan
Comments: 136
Kudos: 222





	1. The boy and the vampire.

**Author's Note:**

  * For [whiteshores](https://archiveofourown.org/users/whiteshores/gifts).



> So I wanted to gift this one to whiteshores (check her ao3, she's an amazing author), since she chose the prompt and I'm happy I managed to write even more for these characters, it's all thanks to her <3

Seungcheol kept waking up at three am. 

Mom said because he ate too many candies right before going to bed, but it _wasn’t_ the truth! 

(Well, not _everyday_ as mom said). 

He just woke up, scared, because there was always noise coming from his window, as if someone knocked on it with a tiny rock?

It was maddening!

Seungcheol only wanted to _sleep_.

But!

But the worst part wasn’t that! 

The worst part was his mom _not_ believing what Seungcheol _saw_ , every single time he’d go to the window, at three am. 

“Mom, I’m telling you!” Eight year old Seungcheol said, with a pout, he had been preparing to go to school, but his mom needed to believe him this time. “There’s a boy. Around my age, and he’s dressed weird and he’s looking at me. He’s _always_ there.”

His mom placed her hands on her hips, disapproving. 

“I knew you were watching too many horror films. I’m telling your dad, Seungcheol.” She said, voice firm, but still placing a lingering hand on his shoulder, squeezing gently.

Seungcheol still leaned in, even though he was progressively growing even madder.

How couldn’t they believe him?

The boy was _right_ there, every night, for months. 

“Mom, but I’m not imagining things!” Seungcheol whined, pout prominent on his features. He wasn’t even hungry anymore, just idly rolling a grape from one side of the plate to the other. “There’s a _boy_ on the forest. I really saw him.”

“Okay, a boy your age, all alone in the forest.” Mom replied distractedly, busying herself on putting Seungcheol’s lunch box inside his backpack. “Now eat your breakfast, honey. You’re going to be late for school.” 

Seungcheol only pouted harder, arms crossed against his chest and decided that it was enough.

He’d make everyone believe him. 

Today.

*

That night, Seungcheol did not sleep (okay, maybe he dozed, but he did try his hardest!), and he stayed glued to the window. 

Just at the clock hit three am, he saw movement on the bushes, someone walking around the trees. He held his breath, hands placing on the window as he leaned in. 

It was so cold, his warm breath fogging up the glass.

Just as every night, the boy with shoulder-length hair black hair appeared, looking underdressed even though it was almost snowing, and he looked right at Seungcheol’s window, holding his gaze for a second. 

Seungcheol wanted to yell at his parents, so they’d believe him, but he couldn’t bring himself to do anything.

He couldn’t believe his eyes. 

Just as he kept looking, afraid to even blink, his heart started to beat faster. 

The boy smiled knowingly (how could he possibly know what he had caused on Seungcheol?) and he pressed his fingers on his lips. 

_Shhh._

Seungcheol felt his eyelids getting heavy, and he finally fell asleep over the window, huddled on his blanket. 

*

_“Jeonghan.”_

_The boy flinched._

_Oops._

_Caught._

_“What have we told you about showing yourself to human children?”_

_“That it’s not okay, we could get caught, humans don’t like vampires, and we’d get hurt if we try to come close to them.” Jeonghan chanted obentiendly._

_“And?” His father asked._

_“I can’t practice my powers on them,” (he did make him fall asleep, father should be proud). “And I can’t have human friends.” He added in the end, a pout on his lips. “But this one looks like fun, I bet he’d be-”_

_“We said no.”_

_“But-”_

_“Jeonghan, no. It’s the last word.” Father said and Jeonghan was already figuring out how to disobey him._

_He’d get a human friend, and not anyone!_

This _one in particular!_

_He’d do it. No matter what._


	2. The forest.

When Seungcheol woke up the next morning, he was more determined than ever. 

(And a little feverish, because he did catch a cold after falling asleep on the window). 

But it didn’t matter, it wouldn’t deter him! 

If watching the boy from the window didn’t work, he’d _go_ to the forest and find him first. 

It was enough! 

He’d find out the truth about this! 

*

Day went by fast. 

(As it did, when you wanted to catch a mysterious boy from the forest). 

Or maybe Seungcheol was just excited. 

He went to school, did his homework (ugh), had dinner, then went to bed. 

Well, at least he _pretended_ to go to bed, because as soon as he had said goodnight and had made sure his parents were asleep, he pulled out all of his equipment for tonight. 

He took a few minutes to change from his pajamas to his explorer clothes and made sure to check again. 

Lantern? Yes. 

Snacks? Yes. 

Shoelaces? Tied. 

Trapper hat? On. (That was a gift from his dad, and it made him feel adventurous every time he wore it). 

Jacket? Zipped! 

Now… all he had to do was wait. 

… 

He felt a little ridiculous waiting with his whole outfit until the clock hit three, but oh well. 

It needed to be done!

*

Excitement got the better of him and Seungcheol managed to sneak out at ten to three am. 

It was _so_ dark and suddenly the forest seemed a little scary… even though he was used to play around during the day. 

It didn’t matter though.

Seungcheol had a _purpose_ today. 

“I know you’re out there!” He yelled, but he was only met by darkness. 

No movement around him. 

“I _know_ you’re out there,” He repeated, panting as he walked. He was _so_ tired already. And cold. He was so cold. “Don’t hide from me, okay?” 

He had _seen_ the boy. 

“Please?” Seungcheol added, voice breaking. The boy was _real_. 

Why wouldn’t he come this time?

*

Jeonghan didn’t manage to make it to the house before he heard _yelling_. 

He immediately stopped on his tracks, hiding behind a tree. 

It sounded like…

“Come on!” 

That was… the child. The human one. 

“I’m not gonna hurt you.”

 _I could hurt you though_ , Jeonghan thought. 

Jeonghan would have held his breath if he could. 

The human child was _so_ close. 

He was just walking around in the dark, with a lantern, he was brave.

Maybe a little silly though, because the forest was dangerous at night. 

“I promise I won’t hurt you.” The boy said again, just looking around, but not walking anymore. Jeonghan waited. “But please, _please_ come out.” 

Jeonghan was tempted, for only a second… he could. He could come out. 

But there was something distracting him. 

If Jeonghan paid any attention, he could hear the boy’s heart beating. 

It was… fast. Too fast. 

Jeonghan dared to peek (just once) and he noticed the boys’ cheeks were red, and he looked like he was sweating. But it had been snowing, it shouldn’t be like that.

He tried to think of all the human biology books he had read… 

Sweating.

Shivering. 

Irregular breathing. 

The boy was _shivering_. 

Oh no.

And just as he hid behind the tree again, he heard a loud thud. 

He dared to peek once more and he noticed the boy was on the ground. 

This was _not_ good.

Jeonghan quickly approached him and noticed that the boy’s eyes were closed, as if he were asleep (as humans did). 

But he had _not_ fallen asleep in the middle of the forest. Which meant he had _passed out,_ he hadn’t decided to fall asleep. 

Which confirmed his first idea, the boy was _sick._

And this also meant that he’d freeze to death in like a few hours if he left him there. 

If father came back from his shift at the hospital and Jeonghan wasn’t home…

He’d get into trouble. He needed to be fast. 

He approached to the boy on the floor, and stared. 

Guilt crept on him, the boy wouldn’t be here if it weren’t from Jeonghan appearing right in front of his house.

What if the boy _died_? 

He placed his hand over the boy’s mouth, realizing he could feel faint breath coming from it.

Jeonghan sighed in relief. 

_He’s alive_. 

What could he do? 

_Think, Jeonghan, think._

*

Okay. 

Jeonghan was currently carrying the human child to his house, _begging_ he wouldn’t wake up on the way. 

It was easier than he had thought, although a little awkward because the kid was wearing so many layers of clothing, so even though he was lighter than Jeonghan had anticipated, it was still difficult to walk with him.

Add the heavy snow. 

It was… weird though. 

The boy was a warm heavy weight on his back, clinging to him, and his hot breath hit Jeonghan’s cheek from time to time. 

It made him ticklish. 

As soon as he made it to the kid’s house, he looked around, but there wasn’t a lot to worry about, since it was three am. 

The whole street was empty. 

He kept approaching until he slowly placed the boy down on the entry of the house, checking and checking _again_.

(No one around). 

He quickly rang the doorbell _and_ knocked on the door too, just in case it wouldn’t be enough and went back to hide behind the trees. 

“Seungcheol!” Oh, that must be his name. _Seungcheol._ And that should be Seungcheol’s mother then. They really looked alike, big eyes and puffy cheeks. The woman immediately took the boy into her arms, yelling to someone inside _here he is._

And then they were back inside, closing the door with a slam.

Okay, well done, Jeonghan. 

Now he should leave. 

He should. 

His eyes traveled to Seungcheol’s silly trapper hat and he looked around once again.

Seungcheol’s mom must have not noticed she dropped it, when she picked him up. 

Thirty seconds passed and no one came to pick it up.

Jeonghan knew he shouldn’t use his speed in front of human eyes, but no one was around! 

He went as fast as he could, picked Seungcheol’s hat and ran back into the forest, holding it close to his chest. 

*

_Okay, he needed to be quick._

_Quick, quick, quick._

_If he hid it under his desk father would find it._

_What if he hid it under the bed? It’s not like they used that, so it’d be a good hiding place._

_Maybe if he-_

_“Friends don’t steal things from each other, love.”_

_Jeonghan turned around so fast he almost got whiplash._

_Oh no._

_Was this better than being discovered by father?... He was about to find out._

_“But mom-”_

_“No whining.” She said kindly, approaching as he reached out to caress his son’s hair. She knew Jeonghan’s intentions, and how hard he had been trying to get noticed by the human child._

_She hadn’t been trying to stop him, but she was slightly encouraging him too? It was confusing._

_“But mom.” He said,_ not _whining. “I… I really want this.”_

_Her mother expression was kind as she lifted up his chin and stared into his eyes._

_“Promise you’ll give it back?”_

_Jeonghan stared down at the hat with a sad expression._

_It was the only thing he had from his human friend. What if he couldn’t see him? Ever again?_

_“Don’t worry, Jeonghan.” She said wisely, and Jeonghan tried not to pout, holding the hat close to his chest. He really wanted a friend, why couldn’t anyone understand? “Someday you’ll have a friend, and you won’t need any object to prove so, okay?”_

_Jeonghan looked down at the hat, remembering the human child’s expression. He looked so helpless. So vulnerable._

_But_ so _real._

_He wanted that._

_“Okay.”_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm back with kid jc.  
> Which parent would you like to see more of?  
> Seungcheol's dad, Seungcheol's mom, Jeonghan's dad or Jeonghan's mom? I plan to add them soon!


	3. Encounter.

“For a whole month. No playing outside, no inviting friends over.” 

“I have no friends.” Seungcheol whispered, but his mom’s voice was louder, firmer. 

“No nintendo and _definitely_ no exploring on the forest. How many times have we told you how dangerous that is?” 

“You were sick too, you shouldn’t have been outside.” His dad added and Seungcheol only looked down, focusing on his untied shoes, on the smell of dinner instead of him being scolded right now. 

He didn’t like it when mom scolded him, but when _dad_ joined in, it meant it was _bad_. 

Really bad. 

“Sorry.” He whispered. 

After they had found him outside, he had been in and out the whole day yesterday, and even though he was still sick today, at least now he could get up and wander around the house.

“What were you even doing?” His mom asked, and Seungcheol felt his cheeks heating up again. 

Saying _i was looking for the boy from the forest_ sounded so silly now. 

And he’d get scolded even more, so he stayed in silence. 

“Seungcheol.” His dad placed a gentle hand on his shoulder and Seungcheol pouted a little, still not daring to meet his parents’ eyes. 

“I was playing outside.” Seungcheol finally replied, his voice a whisper. “Sorry.” 

His parents shared a look. 

“Fine, Seungcheol.” His mom said, with a small sigh, Seungcheol just figured they were tired of telling him the same things over and over, _don’t play in the forest, don’t stay up too late, don’t disobey_. “Finish up your dinner and go to bed, yeah?” 

Seungcheol could only comply. 

*

Seungcheol woke up with a start. 

_dark, scary, cold_

It was _so_ cold. 

His eyes immediately traveled to the window and lingered there. 

He knew he should freak out, he _knew_ he should.

But instead, he was _calm_. 

He blinked up at the _boy_ sitting there, taking in his dark hair and soft features, how pale his skin was. 

_the boy from the forest_

_And_ the sudden rush of cold air, coming from the open window. 

“Invite me in.” The boy whispered. 

Seungcheol only blinked sleepily. 

“Can you close the window please?” 

Not _how did you get in through the second floor_ or _who are you_. 

“Only if you invite me in.” 

Seungcheol reached out to rub the sleep from his eyes, trying to sit up, but deciding it was too much effort, so he laid back down with a small _okay_. 

“You can come in,” Seungcheol whispered, voice groggy. 

The boy smiled in response, but Seungcheol missed it, too worried in burying himself more under his blankets. 

How long had the boy been sitting there? His room was _freezing_. 

This was so weird.

He didn’t know what time it was and there was this boy, just… in his room, looking all mysterious. 

“Are you real?” Seungcheol asked weakly, just in case he was dreaming. 

Jeonghan suppressed a smile. 

“Very.” 

They stared at each other for a lingering moment. 

Silence reigned in the house. 

“Are you a ghost?” 

“Not quite.” 

Seungcheol rubbed his eyes again. The boy was wearing black jeans and an oversized yellow sweater. 

Nothing else.

Wasn’t he cold too?

“Are you alive?” 

The boy laughed a little, and for a second Seungcheol worried about his parents waking up. 

About this being _real_.

This boy, from the forest, looking… strange. 

“I wouldn’t say that.” He replied, tilting his head curiously, as if _Seungcheol_ was being weird right now. 

Seungcheol frowned, noticing for the first time, how _dark_ the boy’s eyes were. 

He was so close.

Within reach.

He’d only need to sit up and… 

“Why do you wake me up every night?” 

The boy pressed his lips in a thin line, thinking. 

He looked like he was about to lie, if you asked Seungcheol. 

*

Jeonghan found it a little compromising to say he wanted a friend. 

What if _Seungcheol_ didn’t want a friend? 

That’d be embarrassing. 

“Because I’m bored.” 

Seungcheol frowned, clearly expecting another type of answer and Jeonghan felt a little guilty, just as he had felt when he saw the boy, on the snow, feverish and alone, in the dark, just because he went to look for Jeonghan and the reminder he could have died if- 

“I wanna sleep.” Seungcheol whined, interrupting Jeonghan’s troubled thoughts. 

Ah, yes.

Humans needed to sleep. 

They were kind of cute (not all of them, but this one). 

“What are you then?” Seungcheol asked, still _whining_. 

Okay, not so cute. 

But Jeonghan blinked, suddenly tempted. 

It was weird that Seungcheol hadn’t figured it out by now. 

Not alive, not a ghost, very real. 

If Jeonghan had a heart right now, he knew it’d be beating fast, because that’s what humans’ hearts did, whenever agitated or nervous. 

And Jeonghan knew he only had one golden rule. 

_do not tell anyone you’re a vampire_

He shouldn’t do this.

He shouldn’t. 

On an impulse, Jeonghan raised his hand and placed his index finger on his upper lip, just enough so it’d show his neat row of teeth. 

“I’m…” 

Seungcheol blinked sleepily, vision blurry as he saw the smallest hint of a _fang_ on Jeonghan’s mouth. 

Pointy, enough to pierce skin. 

Jeonghan saw confusion flash on Seungcheol’s eyes and Jeonghan knew there was _not_ coming back from this. 

“A vampire.” 

Tiredness caught up on Seungcheol, and Jeonghan watched him close his eyes and fall asleep. 

Feeling both troubled and relieved, Jeonghan smiled at Seungcheol softly. 

_I hope you still let me be your friend._

Okay then. 

It was late. 

“Bye, Seungcheol.” He whispered, to the quiet room. 

Then he left. 

*

“ _Yoon Jeonghan.”_

_He immediately dropped everything he was holding, and turned around, a tight smile playing on his lips._

_“It wasn’t me!”_

_“You don’t even know what I’m talking about.” Father sighed and Jeonghan shrugged, looking sheepish._

_He knew he had done wrong._

_He hadn’t returned the hat._

_He had seen the human child again._

_He had told him he was a vampire._

_But how did father know?_

_Jeonghan had been_ so _careful._

_“I heard you keep playing at the forest at night.”_

_Oh…_

_That was… certainly not the worst thing he had done over the past few weeks._

_“Who told you that?”_

_Father gave him a unimpressed look._

_“Well… not exactly in the forest… I just take a little walk around the house every night.” Jeonghan said, hoping it’d sound convincing enough._

_“Oh, I see.” Father conceded. “So… you mean_ our _house, or the human child’s house?”_

_“Of course I mean the human-” Jeonghan went on and-_

_Father only raised his eyebrows, a knowing smile on his lips._

_Oops._

_Caught again._

_“I just!” Jeonghan rushed to explain, stumbling over his own words. “I went to check on him! Because he was… sick. You know, father, like humans do! They’re really fragile, if their bodies are too cold or too warm, they die. It’s simple like that.”_

_Well… not like father didn’t know that._

_He was a human doctor._

_“Yoon Jeonghan,” Father said patiently, tone softer this time. “You’re our legacy. Our only child… our prince.”_

_Jeonghan looked up in awe, his father was rarely this emotional, and it made him feel… kind of fuzzy inside._

_“We won’t let anything happen to you, okay?” He added, wrapping an arm around the child’s shoulders and pulling him close. “But you need to promise me you’ll be careful too.”_

_Jeonghan looked down, not understanding the weight of his father’s words._

_“So… no more walks at night on the forest.”_

_Jeonghan pouted, ready to say something, but his father’s eyes were warm and worried and he didn’t like lying to him._

_He just wanted a friend… but father wouldn’t understand!_

_“Okay…” He conceded, leaning into the hug._

_..._

_If he wanted to see Seungcheol again then..._

_He’d just have to find another way._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I felt bad about baby Seungcheol getting scolded...   
> But anyways, we got to see Seungcheol's parents and Jeonghan's parents a bit more.  
> Hope you liked the chapter <3


	4. Hide-and-seek.

“I had the weirdest dream last night.” Seungcheol started enthusiastically, sitting on the table where some of his classmates were having lunch. “I was in my room, and the window was wide open and there was this-” 

“Who cares?” 

Laughter followed but Seungcheol only closed his mouth, smile fading. 

Making friends here was _hard_. 

He had been in this school for four months now. 

And besides trailing behind a group of classmates and hoping they’d let him tag along, he had no idea what else to do. 

… 

Maybe he’d… just have to wait for the boy from the forest to appear again! 

That thought put a smile on Seungcheol’s face, deciding to focus on finishing his lunch, the chatter from his classmates on the back of his mind for now. 

*

When Seungcheol arrived from school, he made sure to do his homework first. 

Otherwise mom and dad would get mad, and Seungcheol knew they were _already_ mad so he’d try his best to avoid making it even worse. 

He started with math homework first, because it was easier for him, and then he moved on to English. 

And that’s when he got _stuck_. 

English was hard. 

“Hey.” 

Seungcheol almost _jumped_ on his seat, his knees banging on his desk as he turned quickly, following the source of the sound.

It was the _boy_ from the forest. 

The one and only.

Just _sitting_ on his window. 

“What…” Seungcheol blinked several times, rubbing his eyes to make sure he was seeing properly. 

He had… seen the boy yesterday, he had told him he was a vampire and Seungcheol thought that it had been a dream… but what if it wasn’t? 

What was he even doing on his window? How did he make it up there? 

“Play with me.” 

Seungcheol tilted his head, confused. 

This boy was so demanding, he had told him _invite me in_ yesterday and now this! 

And he was _sure_ the boy looked real this time, this time it was four pm, there was light outside, and Seungcheol wasn’t feverish nor sleepy.

The boy was _there_. 

All with his long-sleeved baby blue shirt and black jeans. 

He was wearing a white cap too, so it covered most of his eyes and face, but he was right _there_ talking, and just… existing there. 

“You… you really did come yesterday,” Seungcheol said, just to make sure. 

The boy smiled slyly in return, white teeth showing.

Seungcheol’s stomach did a weird flip at that. 

“Yup.” He said easily, then pointed outside, towards the forest. “Now, play with me.” 

Oh okay.

The boy was real (see, mom?) and maybe he was like a great climber or something, but the important part was that he wanted to _play_ with Seungcheol. 

Actually play with him. 

It was the first time in _months_ that someone invited him to play, and he couldn’t help but smile, putting his pen down and standing up. 

“Are you sure?” Seungcheol asked, just because this was too good to be true. 

And because that _who_ _cares_ from the morning was still fresh in his mind. 

“I am sure.” The boy said calmly, and Seungcheol was happy that he didn’t seem annoyed by his insecurity. “Come on.” 

He smiled again and Seungcheol felt more reassured. 

Okay. 

This was _actually_ happening.

It’d be _so_ fun. 

“I’ll go get my shoes, okay?” Seungcheol told him, because he couldn’t possibly play in the forest with slippers on. “Please, _please_ , stay here.” 

He only received a hum in response, but he went all the way downstairs to get his shoes and when he came back, the boy was still on his window! 

He hadn’t left. 

Seungcheol’s smile grew.

He kind of wanted to ask why the boy didn’t come inside, or how had he made it there in the first place, but he didn’t want to scare him off. 

Seungcheol had ran all the way downstairs and then upstairs to get his shoes (and jacket) so he was breathing hard by the time he made it back to his room, but he couldn’t stop smiling. 

He was _so_ happy. 

If the boy noticed his excitement though, he didn’t comment on it. 

“Let’s go.” 

Okay! 

Then just as he was about to leave, Seungcheol’s eyes traveled to his parents’ room. 

Oh. 

It was empty now, but they’d arrive in like two hours from work...

_no playing in the forest, how many times have we told you how dangerous that is?_

“What are you waiting for?” Seungcheol stood there for a moment, weighing the options of playing with this new mysterious friendly boy from the forest, or staying here to finish his English homework. 

… 

Okay, maybe it wasn’t so hard. 

“Nothing.” Seungcheol zipped up his jacket. “Let’s go!” 

*

Jeonghan always thought the forest was a scary place for humans. 

_dark, vast, the chance of getting lost in it_

He found it fascinating, and he knew it like the back of his hand. 

After spending eight years of his life on it, there wasn’t an inch of it that Jeonghan wasn’t familiar with. 

So he had a little advantage at playing hide-and-seek on it. 

(Not that he’d tell Seungcheol about it). 

“... seventeen, eighteen, nineteen… twenty.” Jeonghan uncovered his eyes and looked around. 

If he concentrated enough, he could hear Seungcheol’s heartbeat from meters away. 

He was hiding behind the rock, at Jeonghan’s left. 

“Ah, where to look?” Jeonghan asked out loud, crossing his arms against his chest. 

This was _fun_. 

They had already played ten rounds of hide-and-seek, but it was still fun. 

Actually, this was the first time Jeonghan had so much fun here. 

He should have gotten a friend before! 

“Where to look,” Jeonghan said, this time to himself and then… 

Well, he cheated a little, but _shhh_. 

He used his speed to make it right around the rock, startling Seungcheol by pulling at the hoodie of his jacket. 

“Got you!” 

Seungcheol literally _squealed_ at the sight of him and pushed him playfully, a pout forming on his lips. 

Hahaha. 

_Cute_. 

“You cheated!” Seungcheol claimed, pouting even more and Jeonghan snickered. 

“I did not.” He raised his hands in innocence. “How could I ever cheat? How do you even cheat at hide-and seek?” 

Seungcheol’s lips parted, ready to protest but then he frowned. 

“I…” He started, crossing his arms against his chest. “I don’t know _how_ , but you did! You were counting and then you were right behind me, that’s cheating!” 

“That’s winning.” Jeonghan corrected, nonchalantly. 

“It’s not!” 

“It _is_.” 

Playful shoving followed and then they were running to find another spot on the forest, Seungcheol was _fast_ for an eight year old child, Jeonghan thought, _obviously_ Jeonghan was faster with his powers, but he wanted to let Seungcheol have this one. 

They keep trying to outrun each other and Seungcheol was laughing as he ran, and he looked so happy and Jeonghan was giddy with it.

He wondered if this is what you felt when you had a friend. 

Because if this was _it_ , it felt great. 

*

“I dreamed you told me you were a vampire.” 

Jeonghan’s eyes immediately went to Seungcheol’s.

He had brought him to one of his favorite spots on the forest, a small clearing. 

Humans usually didn’t find this place. 

And Jeonghan had decided to share it with Seungcheol.

Just because. 

“Silly, huh?” Seungcheol continued, picking up rocks and throwing them into the river, trying to make them skip, but failing miserably. “Like I know you did tell me you went to my room, but like you being a vampire? _Pff_ , that’s kind of silly.” 

Oh right.

Seungcheol might be more naive than Jeonghan had thought. 

He had used his speed in front of him, he had climbed to his room too, and well… didn’t he look like a vampire?

Jeonghan thought he did.

Well, the only vampires he knew were his parents, but still… 

It’s not like he looked _human_ , right? 

“Well… I…” 

If Jeonghan told him the truth (again), would Seungcheol still want to be his friend? 

Would they be able to play again?

Maybe Seungcheol would think he was dangerous, or maybe he’d spill the truth and then Jeonghan and his family would be in danger. 

He couldn’t let that happen.

How had he been so careless to just say it the first time?

Jeonghan knew he should be more careful.

He _knew_.

But everytime he was around this human kid he started to make awful decisions.

And he didn’t know how to make it stop! 

*

“I’m actually…” Jeonghan started, eyes fixed on the floor. 

But Seungcheol’s eyes were trained elsewhere.

It was… 

When he threw the last rock, he didn’t even see where it got.

It was dark.

Which meant it was _late_. 

Oh no.

No, no, no, no, _no_. 

He didn’t have his watch.

What was the time?

Oh my God.

He’d get scolded. 

Seungcheol’s breathing started to speed up and his eyes filled with tears.

They’d get mad at him. 

“Seungcheol…” 

His eyes stared at the lake instead of his friend, he didn’t want to cry in front of him, but he didn’t know what else to do. 

“Are you okay?” The boy asked worriedly, approaching him. “Are you crying?” 

“I just… I… it’s so late and mom and dad are going to _hate_ me. I wasn't supposed to be outside playing.” Seungcheol's voice broke on the last word, covering his face to hide his tears. He remembered mom and dad’s faces when they scolded him last night and they’d do it again and it’d be _worse_. “They’re going to be mad at me and they won’t let me out. Ever again."

He unzipped his jacket, feeling like he couldn’t breathe otherwise. 

“Please don’t cry.” His friend’s voice was gentle as he reached out a hand, as if to place it on Seungcheol’s shoulder, but at the last second he retreated it, a slight frown on his features. As if he didn’t dare to touch him. “It’ll be okay, I’m sure you can make it home, we’ll be quick.” 

“I _can’t_.” Seungcheol choked. “I can’t… home is too far away and I won’t make it and mom and dad-” 

Silence followed, and Seungcheol knew he should have been running home already, but he was paralyzed. 

He couldn’t move.

He was so scared. 

He didn’t want another punishment. 

“Okay.” The boy said, nodding to himself. “Close your eyes.” 

Seungcheol tried to breathe again, using his sleeves to clean up the tears and snot from his face. 

“What… Why?” 

“Just do it, we don’t have any time.” The boy said, reaching out a hand for him. “Come here.” 

Seungcheol was doubtful, reaching out a shaky hand to hold his friend’s. He seemed confident and calm and Seungcheol wondered if he’d get scolded too for being out and playing in the forest, but he didn’t have any time to dwell on it, because one second he was standing on the clearing and at the next he was on his friend’s back, being _dragged_ by him. 

And then he was running.

At least it felt like that, because Seungcheol kept his eyes closed, clinging to the boy’s back. 

And next thing he knew, the boy was stumbling, tripping and then they both fell. 

When Seungcheol _dared_ to open his eyes, knees hurting with the force of the impact, he realized he was in his room. 

It couldn’t be. 

It had been _so_ fast, not even like twenty seconds at most. 

“How did you even do that?” Seungcheol asked, confused, and then… 

And then things made sense. 

_the speed, dark, pale skin, mysterious, scary_

He had been half asleep, but that had been… definitely a _fang,_ that the thing he saw last night. 

Oh.

_a vampire_

But then the sound of footsteps coming from the staircase made the boy, _the vampire_ press a finger against his lips, and before Seungcheol could say anything, his friend was already out of the room.

Leaving the window open in his wake. 

Seungcheol stared for a second, dumbfounded. 

“Honey, it’s _so_ cold outside,” Mom’s voice came from behind him and Seungcheol couldn’t help but smile a little, he had _made_ it, he had a great day, and made a friend, and didn’t get caught. 

_Amazing._

“You’re going to catch a cold like that, Seungcheol.” She added, and finally Seungcheol snapped out of it, heading over there to close it, heart beating fast in his chest as he did so.

When he approached the window and looked outside, there was no sign of the boy out there, but Seungcheol knew he was real.

He _was_. 

And not only that. 

The boy from the forest was a vampire.

A vampire that wanted to be his friend. 

“Sorry, mom.” Seungcheol whispered, eyes trained on the forest instead of her. 

He wasn’t sorry for disobeying though… maybe he _should_ be, but… 

_play with me_

“Won’t happen again.” 

*

 _“You’re in a good mood.”_

_Jeonghan immediately stopped, body tensing._

_Had he been too obvious?_

_“I… what do you mean, father?” He asked, hoping not to get caught for the third time in a row!_

_He had been_ more _than careful this time._

_He hadn’t disobeyed (not technically), he had been out! But during the day!_

_Father hadn’t said anything about_ that _._

_“You are swaying your legs as you drink your dinner.” He commented, pointing a lazy finger at him. “You’re also humming what I assume is a human song, and you’ve been smiling for like thirty minutes now. Don’t your cheeks hurt, Jeonghan?”_

_Jeonghan held on his glass of… well, human blood/dinner, and pouted a little._

_Father had bought him one of those curly straws and Jeonghan thought they were cute._

_He wished he could get more human stuff, like these, but he wasn’t allowed to leave the forest without his parents’ permission, and not like he had money to buy human stuff anyway._

_He wished he could buy human stuff with Seungcheol. Or that he’d get to show Seungcheol all the things from his room! They were cool too._

_“I just…” Jeonghan’s cheeks would have flushed if they could. He was_ this _close to getting caught. He swirled the straw on his cup, thinking what to reply._ I made a friend _, he wanted to say, but he knew he couldn’t. “I’m just happy today, I guess.”_

_“Were you outside last night?” Father asked and Jeonghan looked up quickly, ready to respond, but father’s eyes were on his mother’s, waiting for her to reply._

_“He stayed inside,” She said, with a small smile._

_It wasn’t a lie, because father could recognize those._

_And mom would always protect him, but he knew his parents wouldn’t lie to each other._

_“Well done, son.” Father stood up, ruffled his hair and Jeonghan smiled again, feeling proud of himself._

_“Thank you.” He said, feeling all giddy all of a sudden, even more now._

_Mom reached out to caress his cheek as well, a fond and knowing smile on her lips._

_But if she_ knew _something, she didn’t tell._

_“Finish up your dinner, love.”_

_Jeonghan smiled at her and nodded._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> it's like two am but this was a weird day and i feel like i should end it with some fluff.  
> finally a decent interaction between jc, let me know if you liked it <3  
> ALSO kay worked hard to proofread this at like two am, so she deserves the world


	5. School.

“Let’s play.” 

“Mm.” 

Seungcheol threw the covers over himself, _five minutes more, please_. 

“Come on, Seungcheol, up.” Oh, that voice. 

That was the boy from the fo-… the _vampire_ , that was the _vampire_ talking. 

“What?” Seungcheol asked, burying his head in his pillow even more. 

“Play. Hide-and-seek.” 

Right. 

Play.

Hide-and-seek. 

“It’s early.” Seungcheol whined. Dad hadn’t even gone to his room to wake him up just yet. 

Which meant it was earlier than seven thirty. 

_Too early._

“Yes, I know.” He sounded totally disinterested by the fact that Seungcheol was an _eight_ year old and he should get at least ten hours of sleep! Outrageous! “Let’s.” 

Seungcheol got grumpy when he didn’t get enough sleep.

Why wouldn’t this boy come when he was wide awake?

He always decided to wake him up instead! 

“Come _on_ ,” The vampire whined, pulling at the covers so Seungcheol would get up. 

“No, I don’t wanna,” Seungcheol whined, pulling the blankets _back_. “I wanna stay in bed, five minutes more.” 

Silence reigned in the room for a second and Seungcheol thought that maybe his vampire friend had actually taken it into heart that he didn’t want to play, but it wasn’t _that_. 

He couldn’t let his first friend ever think that he didn’t want to play with him! 

“Wait, _wait_.” Seungcheol whispered, voice groggy. “I do want to, but I-” 

“Seungcheol?” Dad’s voice came from the hallway and Seungcheol pushed the blankets away, just enough to look around.

The window was wide open, but only his dad was in the room.

Which meant...

Vampire had escaped, _fast_. 

Seungcheol couldn’t help but to feel a pang of disappointment in his stomach. 

He should have said yes… 

Now what if his friend was mad? 

“Who are you talking to, bud?” Dad asked, reaching out to fix Seungcheol’s sleep mussed hair. 

“Um…” Seungcheol rubbed his eyes, looking at the window, he didn’t even manage to _see_ his friend, what if he didn’t come back? “No one, I just…” He trailed off. 

_I hope he’s not mad_

“Remember to close this at night, okay?” Dad said, nudging his head towards the window. Oh, right, if they kept finding the window wide open, they’d suspect, Seungcheol needed to be more careful. “Don’t want you to catch another cold.”

Seungcheol replied with a small _okay_ , more worried about the fact that his friend was nowhere to be seen. 

“Get ready for school now,” Dad added, pinching Seungcheol’s cheek playfully. Seungcheol pouted anyways. “Up now, otherwise you’ll be late.” 

*

School was close by. 

He’d take fifteen minutes if he rode his bike. 

Which he always did. 

Seungcheol liked to be fast even though he wasn’t late, just because the speed made him feel like a cool kid. He couldn’t stop thinking about his friend though. 

He could only pray that his friend wasn’t _mad_ at him. 

That’d be unfortunate.

Since they’d been friends only for a few days.

He was still sleepy as he took off his helmet and left his bike on the parking lot. 

“So this is school, right?” Someone said, somewhere behind him. 

“Yup.” 

He had math class first, which was fun, but then right after that he had English, which _wasn’t_ so much fun and then he- 

“Looks like fun.” 

“Not really,” Seungcheol replied, fixed on putting on his backpack. 

“When does class start? I can’t wait.” 

“Well-” 

_Wait a second_. 

Seungcheol slowly turned towards the voice and recognized the _boy_. The vampire. The boy from the forest. 

He was _here_. 

“What-what… what are you doing here?” Seungcheol asked, looking around, none of his classmates or teachers were in sight, but _still_. 

“I came to school.” He replied easily. 

“But… you can’t.” 

....

He couldn’t, could he? 

“Why?” 

“Because,” Seungcheol started, pointing a finger at him. “Because!” 

He wasn’t sure? 

“Yes?” 

“Because you are a vampire.” Seungcheol said. Didn’t vampires have their own schools? How did it even work? “You really are a vamp-” 

The smile disappeared from the voice’s face and he immediately reached out to cover Seungcheol’s mouth. 

“Yes, yes, I am.” He replied quickly, Seungcheol was taken aback for a second, worried he might have made his friend upset for the second time in one day. “ _Please_ , don’t say it out loud though, people aren’t supposed to know.” 

He nodded. 

Got it. 

No one was supposed to know about the vampire. 

Seungcheol _looked_ at him. 

They were the same height, and for once his friend was wearing proper clothing, a puffy jacket and some baggy pants, some lavender snow boots too. 

And Seungcheol had only _one_ important question. 

“How can you be out here? It’s daytime.” He asked, tilting his head to the side. 

Yes, that’s right, he knew a few things about vampires! 

The boy’s face seemed to relax a little and he sighed, running a hand through his hair. 

“Well… when it’s too sunny my skin gets itchy, but it doesn’t really burn or anything. My eyes hurt the most, but I can take it if I don’t stay out there for too long.” He explained with a small shrug.

Wow. 

A real vampire.

This was _so_ cool. 

Just as he had asked about the sunlight, he could see his friend squinting to get a look at him. 

He must be really uncomfortable, huh? 

“Oh, wait,” He could help! He searched through his backpack. “I’ve got a hat you can borrow!” He was sure it was here somewhere- “ _Here_ , you can have it. I had this trapper one that my dad bought me, but I don’t know where it is.” 

His friend seemed hesitant as he received the bucket hat that Seungcheol had given him, but he didn’t want to ask, maybe vampires weren’t supposed to borrow things from humans? 

When the boy put the hat on, Seungcheol noticed how it covered most of his hair and eyes. 

It looked _so_ big in him, even though they were the same height. 

And his friend was only slightly thinner? 

Seungcheol was _sure_ the hat didn’t look that big when he was wearing it. 

It looked kind of cute on him. 

“Cute.” 

“Am I?” He asked with a shy smile, looking genuinely curious as he tilted his head.

Seungcheol looked the other way, eyes trained on the floor, suddenly self conscious about what he had just said. 

_You don’t call your friends cute, Seungcheol!_

“Well… kind of.” 

A moment of silence followed. 

“It’s just that… I don’t really know how I look?” He heard his friend whisper. 

Realization hit Seungcheol’s eyes and his smile dropped. 

Right. 

Vampires couldn’t see themselves in the mirror. 

Just when Seungcheol was about to say something to make it better, he heard the school bell ringing.

Oh, no. 

“I… I’m sorry.” Seungcheol blurted out, pouting (only a little) because he couldn’t stay out and learn more about his friend. “I really need to go to class and you can’t come with me.” 

“But I-” 

“No.” 

His friend looked down, clearly sad and maybe disappointed, and Seungcheol couldn’t help but to feel guilty. 

He had come all the way here, and he had been in his house during the morning and Seungcheol was turning him down, for the _second_ time today. 

Friend’s didn’t do that to each other! 

“I… I mean,” Seungcheol rushed to make it better, tone softer. “I… I can’t play right now and you can’t come with me to class, but… but we can play after school?” 

“Really?” 

“Yes.” He assured him, smiling when his friend did. 

Now he really needed to leave though, otherwise he’d be late to class. 

(And if mom and dad found out about that, he’d be _doomed_ ). 

“We will play after I’m done with school.” He repeated, hoping to reassure him as he started to walk towards his classroom. 

He’d get to play after school, was this a dream coming true? How could he be so lucky to- 

_Wait a second_. 

As quickly as he could, Seungcheol stopped on his tracks, turning to see the boy standing in the same place as he had left him. 

Seungcheol had forgotten _the_ most important question so far. 

“I…” He started, shyly. They had been playing for like a whole day and had seen each other countless times. How could he forget asking about this? “I didn’t catch your name.”

The boy’s eyes seemed to light up. 

“I’m Jeonghan.” 

Jeonghan.

Seungcheol had _never_ met anyone called Jeonghan.

It was fitting though. He looked like a Jeonghan. 

“Okay,” Seungcheol smiled, dimples showing. He was _so_ happy, he felt like the emotion would burst from his chest. “Wait for me, okay? And _oh_ , Jeonghan, don’t forget to hide until one pm!” 

*

 _Hide_. 

That’s what Seungcheol had said.

And Jeonghan was complying. 

He really was.

School was… amazing, there was so much stuff! 

Classrooms and a whole library, and a playground too. 

Everything was exactly as his mom had told him when he asked about the human world. 

No, scratch that, this was even _better_. 

Suddenly he thought how unfair it was that only his parents could visit the town but he couldn’t. 

Why couldn’t he come from time to time?

He thought time would pass slowly, but after he had finally explored the whole school, there were only a few minutes left to one pm. 

He had made it! 

A _whole_ morning outside and he didn’t get caught! 

And things would only get better from now on. 

He’d get to join Seungcheol back home. 

And maybe, _oh_ , maybe Seungcheol would let him come again next week.

That’d be amazing! 

*

As soon as the school bell rang, all the kids were running outside, and Jeonghan struggled not to lose sight of Seungcheol. 

He was supposed to meet him right where they got separated and Jeonghan figured Seungcheol couldn’t leave without his bike, so he waited.

And waited. 

And _waited_.

Where was Seungcheol?

Had something happened to him? Something bad?

He was about to break _all_ the rules his parents had set him for him and just go in there and look for him, when he noticed a group of boys with Seungcheol. 

They all seemed to be walking on his direction, but suddenly Seungcheol stopped on his tracks, saying something about a forgotten math book and came back running to the classroom. 

As soon as Seungcheol had left, Jeonghan caught some of the conversation between the boys. 

“Forgot his things, _again_.” 

“Well, what else can you expect?” 

The group laughed and Jeonghan just stood there.

Was he hearing correctly? 

“He tries so hard, wonder when he’ll realize we don’t actually like him.” 

“Let’s just leave him, I like having someone who would do anything to be part of the group.” 

“Aw, but don’t you feel a little pity for him?” 

“Why would I? He’s so dumb.” 

Okay. 

That was _enough_. 

“What. Did. You. Just. Say?” Jeonghan was in front of them in a matter of seconds, he didn’t think he could even speak, he was _so_ mad, his chest feeling tight with emotion. 

“Mind your own business.” 

Jeonghan ignored the snickers that the response caused and he only looked at the kid who had said the last words. 

“Repeat that.” He ordered. 

There was a beat of tense silence. 

“Seungcheol is _dumb_.” The kid said, with a smug smile and a bit of a shrug. 

Jeonghan blinked up at him.

His stomach twisted uncomfortably, he couldn’t believe Seungcheol’s classmates were talking like that behind his back.

And Seungcheol wanted to be friends with _them_? 

Jeonghan wanted to say Seungcheol wasn’t dumb, but he was frozen in place, mind working overtime.

He should shut them up. He should, he _could_. He could use his powers, maybe he could make them fall asleep as they were riding their stupid bikes home, and they’d get _hurt_ or maybe he could try to stage some kind of revenge with- 

“Raise your hand if you think Seungcheol is dumb.” Same kid added and everyone but Jeonghan did. 

Okay. 

_Calm down, Jeonghan._

He wasn’t supposed to be here. 

If he hurt one of the kids, people would _know_ he had been here. 

“See?” He added, with a smug smile and Jeonghan just nodded to himself. 

Okay. 

Kid had earned _it_. 

(Sorry mom and dad). 

Pain flared on his fist as he retreated his hand. 

Gasps followed from around him and Jeonghan only looked at the boy, now on the floor, hands on his bleeding nose. 

_Oops_. 

He _tried_ not to smile (didn’t know if he had made it) and then he turned to see Seungcheol, coming back from getting his math book. 

“Try to say something bad about Seungcheol again and you’ll get more of those.” Jeonghan warned and turned from the group of boys, ignoring the painful groans coming from the one on the floor. 

As Seungcheol approached, he seemed to frown at the commotion, trying to peek and see what was going on. 

“Come on, Seungcheol.” Jeonghan placed a hand on his shoulder. “Let’s get your bike, you’ll be late if we don’t hurry.” 

His friend seemed like he wanted to say something, but he complied in the end. 

“Tell me, what did you learn at school today?” Jeonghan asked and Seungcheol just gave a last glance at the group of classmates, and then back at Jeonghan, with a happy smile. 

_This_ was how Seungcheol was supposed to look like. 

Smiling. 

Happy.

And if those classmates did _anything_ else to Seungcheol, Jeonghan already knew who they were. 

“Oh, it was so cool, we had to pick our favorite animal and…” 

*

_“Jeonghan.”_

_Father’s tone was soft, but Jeonghan flinched anyway._

_He had done a bad thing._

_Father knew._

_He had to know._

_But if he knew then he wouldn’t sound that casual?_

_Maybe he didn’t know?_

_When Jeonghan didn’t reply, he knew that inevitably his parents would arrive._

_And they did._

_“Dinner’s ready, darling.” Father said, entering his room._

_Jeonghan didn’t look up, eyes glued to his lap._

_First he had been_ so _proud of himself for defending Seungcheol, but as time went on and he got to play with Seungcheol and noticed his friend had no idea what he had done, he started to feel guilty._

_And now he couldn’t stop thinking about it._

_He didn’t know if he regretted it, but he couldn’t hide it from his parents._

_So he cracked._

_“Father, Ididsomethingbad.”_

_He couldn’t look at him in the eye as he said it, and he could feel his mom wanting to approach, but no one said anything._

_“I… I went to town.” He continued, not knowing where to start._

_“I know.” Father said and Jeonghan looked up at him._

_Wait, what?_

_“How… how did you know?”_

_“The boy you hit made it to the hospital, you broke his nose.” Oh… so father had acted like he didn’t know. He was probably waiting for Jeonghan to tell? “It’s a small town, Jeonghan.”_

_It made Jeonghan feel even guiltier._

_His eyes were trained to the floor once more, and he started fidgeting._

_“I’m sorry.”_

_Father sighed._

_“What are you sorry for?”_

_“I… I didn’t disobey!” Jeonghan said, remembering the rules. “I didn’t go out at night, I just… I just went to the forest and there was daylight! I swear.”_

_“And you went to the school.” Father added, calmly._

_Oh, no. Father knew the whole story._

_“I… well, I went_ outside _the school, not the school per se.” He whispered. “I was defending my friend, they said he was dumb and they were mocking him behind his back, that’s not okay.”_

_Mom seemed to agreed so, because Jeonghan could see her nodding, and she approached to the them, but she still stayed behind Jeonghan’s father, as if she didn’t want to reach out to him just yet._

_“What did you do wrong?” Father asked, after a moment of silence._

_He seemed to be giving Jeonghan time to think it through._

_Okay._

_“Um… I should have used my powers on them instead of hitting them," He tried, mom shook his head. “I… vampires are not supposed to hit people? Should have aimed for the stomach instead of the nose? People are weak, so we can’t hit them?”_

_He got three shakes on response and he bit on his lower lip._

_This was hard._

_At least mom was helping, but father didn’t seem happy with Jeonghan’s replies._

_“We’re not supposed to hit anyone at all?” He tried, one last time and mom shrugged a little. That worked?_

_Father only sighed again, running a hand through his hair._

_Mom mouthed the word_ outside _._

_“Oh! I… I shouldn’t have been to the town!” Jeonghan said, nodding to himself. Thanks mom! “They’re not supposed to know I exist. That’s the worst thing I did.”_

_Father turned around to look at his wife, and he only got a sheepish smile in return._

_Oops, mom and Jeonghan got caught._

_“You two are really something, aren’t you?” Father sighed looking between his wife and child, but his smile was fond._

_Jeonghan tried not to say anything, because father always said that mom would spoil him too much and maybe it was the truth._

_“You’re lucky, Jeonghan. Only four boys saw you. I was able to erase their memories of you.” He explained, his tone was soft, but Jeonghan still felt like he was getting scolded. He didn’t understand why it was so dangerous, but father was always so serious about this. “The people in town only know about your mother and I.”_

_He knew._

_Father always said that if he ever appeared on the human world, he’d put himself in danger._

_But Jeonghan was_ so _bored being here by himself._

_No one to play with._

_“Sorry.” He whispered, because he didn’t understand why it was so bad, but he knew it was bad enough. “Am I grounded?”_

_Father sat next to him and placed a hand on his shoulder._

_“Glad you already know that you are.”_

_Jeonghan only looked down._

_Ow._

_Guess he should have seen this coming… although defending Seungcheol felt pretty great, and maybe he’d do it again if-_

_“Can you at least look like you regret breaking that kid's nose?” Father interrupted his thoughts, nudging his shoulder._

_Jeonghan smiled a little, but nodded._

_“I’m sorry, father.” He whispered. “I won’t do it again.”_

_And well... he'd try._


	6. Grounded.

“I think we’re done for today, doctor Yoon.” The nurse announced, with a tired sigh. 

The doctor gave her a warm smile in response. 

_Finally_. 

They had been here since the morning and it was already lunch time. 

(Not that he’d eat something anyways). 

However, giving the flu shot to almost an entire school was definitely exhausting. 

“Let’s pack up everything and leave, yes?” She offered, taking off her gloves and leaving the infirmary as she went to the reception, to finish the paperwork. 

As he was left alone, he took off his gloves as well, he had a long shift at the ER tonight and he hoped he’d be able to at least go to the store to buy Jeonghan’s new clothes, he was growing taller and- 

“Doctor, I’m so sorry.” A voice said from the door, and he could recognize it was one teachers. He looked up, giving her a reassuring him smile so she’d continue. “We checked the list and one of the kids didn’t get the shot.” 

“What’s the name of the student?” He asked, already looking through the medical files he had left on the desk. 

“Choi Seungcheol.” 

His eyes traveled distractedly through the files, until he landed on the right one, Choi Seungcheol, eight years old, 8th of August of 1995 and then his eyes landed on his address. 

That was… 

_that house_

The only house near the entrance of the forest.

Could it be?

… Jeonghan’s human friend? 

“We’re so sorry,” He heard from the hallway, it was the teacher again. “He slipped from the line.” 

“I don’t _wanna_.” 

“Seungcheol, get in.” 

“No.” 

“ _Seungcheol_.” The teacher pressed, clearly flustered, he could only see the little hand clutching the doorway. “Come on, the doctor and the nurse need to leave now, and you’re making them wait.” 

“But I don’t _want_ to.” The boy whined, now his legs appearing in the frame, he was struggling, but the teacher seemed to be holding his other hand. 

The doctor hid a smile. 

He should probably intervene.

What if this was in fact Jeonghan’s friend?

What were the odds? 

He stood up, walking towards the doorway, just enough so he’d be able to look at the boy in the eye. 

“Hi there,” He said, hoping to sound (and look) inviting enough. 

Seungcheol looked like a deer caught in headlights, stilling for once. 

The kid was cute, round cheeks and big eyes, and he looked _very_ scared. 

“I’m doctor Yoon,” He continued, since the boy didn’t seem to be reacting. “Want to come inside?” 

Seungcheol seemed to gulp and he shook his head. 

“Okay,” He could see the stress in the teacher’s eyes and he gave her a reassuring smile. “I’ve got this, don’t worry.” 

How to proceed… 

“Guess if you don’t want to come inside it’s fine,” He shrugged a little, and Seungcheol frowned, looking suspicious. “I’ll just have to eat this myself.” He explained, pulling a green lollipop from his pocket. 

Seungcheol’s eyes light up and the doctor almost snorted in response. 

This strategy worked with four year olds. 

He was cute. 

“Okay.” Seungcheol willingly came inside and doctor and teacher shared one last look, she seemed relieved. 

“We’ll be done soon.” He explained, leaving the door ajar. “Sit, Seungcheol.” 

He patted the stretcher as he turned to wash his hands and put on some gloves again, he could see from the corner of his eye that Seungcheol hadn’t moved, he was just standing there.

“It’ll hurt only for a second.” He explained gently, because he knew what was going on through the kid’s mind. “But then It’ll keep you from getting sick later on.” 

There was a beat of silence. 

Seungcheol refused to sit down on the stretcher and _now_ he looked like he was about to cry. 

This was _not_ going well. 

“I really don’t like needles.” Seungcheol whispered, voice breaking. 

_Aw,_ poor kid. 

“I don’t like them either.” 

Since he didn’t sit up, the doctor decided to do it himself, setting the example seemed like a good idea with kids. 

Especially this one. 

“Doctor? Are you married?” Seungcheol asked, he was clearly trying to buy some time, but he still played along, nodding. “Do you have kids?” 

This was a tricky one… 

No one in the town knew about Jeonghan’s existence.

However, he was ninety nine percent sure this was Jeonghan's friend so... 

(Also he had learned adults were always problematic, but kids didn't gossip around about someone's kids or something). 

“One, a boy.” He said, with a fond smile, _lift up your sleeve, yeah?_ he asked, with the same tone, as Seungcheol nodded distractedly, more worried about the story than the request. “He’s very naughty though, so he’s grounded right now.” 

The doctor reached out and cleaned the area with an alcohol pad. 

“What did he do?” 

_he broke a kid’s nose on your behalf_

Just then the nurse came back, carrying a white box, causing Seungcheol to slightly pull away from him again. 

He also looked like he wanted to keep asking the doctor some stuff, but he stopped, knowing how close he was to finally getting the shot. 

(Good timing, nurse). 

“It’s okay, we’re almost done.” Doctor said, and Seungcheol probably thought he was talking to him, but his eyes were trained on the nurse, she was holding the needle. “Eyes up,” He reached out and tilted Seungcheol’s chin so he’d stare at the ceiling. “What is 96 plus 43?” 

“Umm…” 

Seungcheol frowned in concentration and the doctor raised his eyebrows at the nurse, and she took advantage to that moment to stick the needle on Seungcheol’s shoulder. 

The boy didn’t even flinch. 

“Okay, we’re done.” 

“ _What_ , really?” Seungcheol asked, mouth agape as he turned to see the doctor, then the nurse. 

She nodded at him, pressing a cotton against his shoulder, then placing a bandaid over it, just in case it’d bleed. 

“Here’s the lollipop.” Doctor said, pulling the candy from his pocket. “And the answer is 139. You’re good to go, Seungcheol.” 

The boy’s mouth was open, too surprised as he received his reward. 

“Say thank you to the doctor.” The teacher said, appearing from outside the infirmary to take the boy back to class. 

“Thank you, doctor.” Seungcheol bowed and everything, dimples showing when he smiled. 

And then he was gone. 

“You’re so good with children, Doctor Yoon.” The nurse said, with a soft smile. “Do you have your own?” 

People always asked this, so he tried to mask off his expression as he pulled off his gloves, throwing them to the bin. 

“Sadly, no.” If only they knew about Jeonghan. No one had seen him in eight years and it’d stay that way if it weren’t from Jeonghan himself. He was so disobedient, but as his parents they knew they couldn’t blame him. He was only curious. “My wife can’t have any.” 

Most of the people in the town knew his wife had poor health and she barely left the house. 

And people didn’t know where they lived either.

It was to protect Jeonghan, as much as they could.

(Not that it was working right now, with Jeonghan being reckless and everything).

“Oh, I’m so sorry for asking.” Her fond smile turned into a sad one, her expression regretful. 

What would he even do if the whole town _knew_ about his son’s existence? 

That thought… 

“Don’t worry about it.” He gave her a smile. “It’s okay.” 

*

Seungcheol waited.

And _waited_. 

But Jeonghan (his vampire friend) was nowhere to be seen. 

And it had been a _whole_ week after they met the last time. 

Was Jeonghan mad?

Didn’t he want to play anymore?

But they had had _such_ a good time.

Maybe he didn’t like that Seungcheol had to go to school and he hadn’t… 

But that wasn’t fair, it wasn’t Seungcheol’s choice to go to school. 

He wasn’t even having a _good_ time in school because his classmates seemed to ignore him even more and he even got a _flu_ shot. 

What an awful week! 

Seungcheol tried to focus on the project he was working on, but it was hard. 

He waited everyday for a week, and checked before going to bed and after waking up, and even though he was _glued_ to the window as long as he could, Jeonghan didn’t show up.

Seungcheol tried not to feel sad about it. 

*

Seungcheol woke up with a start. 

His breathing was heavy, eyes quickly looking around his room for any sign of danger.

It was _early_ , there was not enough sunlight coming from his window and Seungcheol rubbed his eyes, confused. 

Why was he up again? 

It was _so_ early and dad hadn’t gone to his room to wake him up yet. 

And there was no one on- 

_Wait._

Jeonghan!

Maybe it was Jeonghan.

Seungcheol threw the covers as far as he could and got up. 

The window wasn’t open, but maybe, _maybe_ it could still be Jeonghan.

Seungcheol ran to the window and opened it, a rush of cold air came into his room and he shivered, suddenly _very_ awake. 

“Hi, Seungcheol.” He heard from somewhere behind the bushes.

Seungcheol let out a sigh in relief. 

It was… 

“Jeonghan.” Seungcheol couldn’t believe his eyes, his friend hadn’t left forever, he was _here_. 

He was okay. 

“Hi.” Jeonghan repeated, with a small laugh, he didn’t look like he was mocking Seungcheol though, he just seemed happy too. 

And that made Seungcheol even happier. 

Although then he remembered last week and, well… 

“Why… why didn’t you come?” He asked, smile fading despite himself.

He didn’t want Jeonghan to think he was upset, but Seungcheol was. 

The words _i waited for you_ were about to leave his lips, but Seungcheol stayed in silence instead. It was still a little dark, but Seungcheol could make up Jeonghan’s expression, he seemed upset too.

He didn’t want to make him more upset.

“I was grounded.” Jeonghan stage whispered. “Actually I still am!” 

Oh. 

That made sense. 

And Seungcheol suddenly remembered when he was grounded too. 

(Actually Seungcheol was _still_ grounded too, that’s why he hadn’t gone looking for Jeonghan in the forest). 

“Jeonghan,” Seungcheol whined, suddenly stressed. Why wasn’t Jeonghan nervous? Wasn’t he scared of his parents? “You shouldn’t be here then.” 

He wanted to play too, but if Jeonghan got scolded for it… 

“It’s okay, it’s not that bad, I’m just… taking a stroll with mom and this is a little detour!” Jeonghan explained. 

Oh.

Jeonghan’s mom. 

She was nowhere to be seen though. 

“Do you have a mom?” Seungcheol asked, trying to think of how she’d look. She couldn’t be that bad if she accompanied Jeonghan to the forest just so he’d see Seungcheol... “And a dad too?”

Jeonghan frowned, as if the question was curious on itself. 

“I do, they’re- _oh_ , wait.” Jeonghan parted his lips, looking around frantically. He seemed to remember something important. Seungcheol barely heard something like _dad’s shift_ and _soon_. “I need to leave now.” 

Seungcheol couldn’t help but to feel disappointed. 

He knew that Jeonghan couldn’t stay, but he still wanted him to. 

He missed playing with him. 

“See you soon, Seungcheol.” Jeonghan waved and just _then_ Seungcheol remembered. 

His project!

He had been working on it all week!

“Wait, _wait_ , before you leave.” Seungcheol was already back inside, scrambling to get to his drawing. He had it under his bed, because he didn’t want his parents to see. “I got you something.” He said, as soon as he came back, holding a piece of paper on his hands. 

Jeonghan tilted his head and he quickly climbed the tree, easily jumping to sit on the window. 

It was the first time Seungcheol had seen _how_ did Jeonghan do it and it was soooo cool! 

“I…” With Jeonghan so close and his eyes on him, Seungcheol was suddenly shy, hiding the drawing he had made behind him. What if it wasn’t pretty enough? What if Jeonghan didn’t like it? “I… you just said… that you didn’t know how you looked so I… I made you a drawing.” 

Jeonghan was silent for a moment.

He just looked surprised.

Eyes wide, frozen in place. 

Seungcheol felt even shier. 

“I can keep it if you don’t want it,” Seungcheol whispered, looking down. 

_That_ made Jeonghan react and he reached out, holding Seungcheol’s wrist. 

“Oh, no, I really want it. I want it, I’m just so happy I didn’t know what to say,” Jeonghan explained. “Please, _please_ , let me have it.” 

Seungcheol’s cheeks went red, as he slowly unfolded the paper. 

It was Jeonghan, on his outfit from the other day. 

All from his puffy jacket, his baggy pants and lavender boots and Seungcheol also added the bucket hat! 

(He also drew the forest on the background, because he figured the school was too difficult to draw). 

His lines were a little wobbly and he wasn’t very good at coloring stuff, because he only had a set of twelve colors and- 

“It’s not that good.” 

“It’s perfect.” 

They said at the same time. 

Jeonghan looked amazed by it, like he couldn’t stop staring at it and he was smiling too, so Seungcheol figured he must have really really liked it!

“Thank you so much.” Jeonghan said, his voice sounding weird, as if he was about to cry. “I’m so happy, thank you.” 

Seungcheol’s cheeks went even redder and he looked down, not wanting to meet Jeonghan’s eye. 

There was a beat of silence and Jeonghan pulled the drawing to his chest, as if he wanted to give it a hug and he smiled at Seungcheol, looking happier than ever.

“I… I really need to leave now, but thank you again.” Jeonghan whispered. “I’ll be back soon so we can play, bye, Seungcheol!” 

Seungcheol couldn’t help but to smile back. He was _so_ happy that Jeonghan had liked it.

It almost made him forget about how sad he was last week. 

“Bye Jeonghan!” He yelled, watching his friend go back to the forest. 

Once he had disappeared, Seungcheol stared out the window for a little longer.

“Seungcheol!” Mom’s voice came from the hallway and Seungcheol hurried back to his bed, hiding under the covers. “Are you up already?” 

_oops_ , almost caught. 

“No, mom! I just went to the bathroom!” He hoped it worked… 

A beat of silence. 

Seungcheol waited. 

“Okay, you need to be up in ten!” 

“I will!” 

Mission: Deliver the drawing to Jeonghan. 

Success! 

(And he didn’t even get caught in the process!). 

*

_“I’ve got it.”_

_“You sure?” Father asked, Jeonghan nodded, a determined expression on his face. “Okay then, go on.”_

_Mom was watching too, but she was silent, just observing._

_Jeonghan had to do well. He couldn’t fail on this._

_“One.”_

_“I’m allowed to have one human friend.”_

_“Okay, two.”_

_“I cannot go to school nor the town ever again.”_

_“Three.”_

_“We can play in the forest, during the day.”_

_Father gave him a nod._

_“Okay, four.”_

_“If anyone sees me, I’ve got to let you know so you can deal with it.”_

_“Five.”_

_“Always having dinner before meeting the human friend?”_

_Father smiled, looking amused._

_“Are you asking me or telling me?”_

_“I’m… I’m telling you, that’s rule number five.” Mom gave him an encouraging smile, okay he was not so lost, Jeonghan felt much calmer._

_“Good, six?”_

_“Can’t tell anyone else I’m a vampire.”_

_Jeonghan had already broken some of the rules, but after almost a whole week inside his house, and a long talk between his parents, and even a longer talk between the three of them, his parents had decided that they couldn’t keep Jeonghan from being curious about the human world._

we can’t look after him if he feels he has to lie to us _or something like that._

_Jeonghan wasn’t sure what it all meant._

_He knew that he’d stop sneaking out, but he would follow their rules._

_Jeonghan was more than happy (hiding things was a bit tiring), and he was more than ready to obey this time._

_After all, mom and dad were finally letting him have a human friend!_

_“Anything else?” Father asked, interrupting Jeonghan’s thoughts._

_“Um…”_

_“Jeonghan.” Father started with a sigh, running a hand through his hair._

_“Ah! Wait, I’ve got it.” Jeonghan assured him, he didn’t want father to think he wasn’t paying any attention, because he was. “Right, if I disobey this time, we might have to leave this town and then I’d never see my friend again.”_

_That was the scariest consequence, so Jeonghan was willing to obey._

_“Okay.” Father took a deep breath (vampires didn’t breathe, but father had always had some non-vampire gestures). “Punishment is over, you can go out on Monday.”_

_Yes!!!_

_He had been waiting to hear those words for the whole week!_

_He was so happy._

_“Thank you, father.” Jeonghan smiled brightly, heading over there to hug him and then his mom._

_“No need to thank me, okay? Just remember the rules.” Father explained as he hugged back, but Jeonghan was too happy to dwell on his words that much._

_As father left to prepare dinner, mom hugged him again, placing a gentle hand on his cheek so he’d look up._

_“Promise me you’ll be careful.” She reminded him, she had said that, multiples times, but somehow… this felt more important, and Jeonghan resisted the urge to look down. Mom never told him that he shouldn’t have a human friend, or that he couldn’t leave the house._

_The least he could do was promise her this._

_She had always been so supportive._

_“I promise.”_

_Mom gave him a warm smile, placing a kiss on the top of his head and Jeonghan just reminded the_ other _important thing he was supposed to do._

_It was very important!_

_“Oh, mom…” Jeonghan sheepishly pulled the drawing Seungcheol had made him from behind him, showing it to his mom. “Can you help me frame this, please?”_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I added more of Jeonghan's parents! It was nice to write them, also what do you all say? Will Jeonghan break the rules? Should he?   
> Thanks for reading <3


	7. Interlude.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> mentions of minor injury/blood on this chapter.

“One!” 

Seungcheol’s laughter tickled Jeonghan’s ears. 

“Two!” 

His friend always giggled as he started running, as if hide-and-seek amused him a lot. 

“Three!” 

Jeonghan hid his smile behind his hands. 

“Four!” 

Seungcheol _ran_ faster, already looking for the best place to hide. 

“Five!” 

Even though Jeonghan’s eyes were closed (he wasn’t _that_ much of a cheat), he could still hear the crunch of the leaves. 

It made him feel all giddy with excitement. 

“Sixseveneightnineten!” Jeonghan rushed, turning around as he laughed. 

Silence. 

Too much of it. 

Suddenly Jeonghan’s chest started to hurt, a bad feeling settling on his stomach. 

He didn’t hear the usual _stop cheating_ from Seungcheol or… anything at all. 

Seungcheol should be close by, close enough for Jeonghan to hear him, but… 

He couldn’t… he focused, really focused, closed his eyes, but he still couldn’t hear Seungcheol at all? 

Where was he?

“Seungcheol?” He called, worry overpowering his desire to keep playing. “Seungcheol, where are you?”

Jeonghan started running, looking frantically around, only trees, and fallen leaves, and the huge rock they usually hid behind to… but nothing else, nothing _more_ , Seungcheol was nowhere to be seen. 

This wasn’t good. 

“Seungcheol, please, come out.” Jeonghan called, he couldn’t have gone _that_ far, he had only counted to ten. 

Where was he? 

“Look what we’ve got here.” 

Jeonghan turned to the sound of the voice, having trouble to find the source. It was somewhere behind the trees, the bushes, the- 

“It’s a _human_ child, who would have thought?” 

A… a human child? 

Jeonghan’s heart sank. 

He didn’t… he didn’t recognize the voices and he still couldn’t see where they came from, they sounded mean and mocking and it made Jeonghan worry even more. 

And… and they said _human_ so where they…?

Just like him? 

He had _never_ met a vampire before, apart from his parents. 

Suddenly he was frozen in place.

What… what were vampires doing… _here_ on the forest? 

“And such a coward too, he’s shaking all over.” 

Jeonghan _finally_ reacted, all the scattered sentences piecing together.

 _Seungcheol_. 

Seungcheol was the human child and they got him and- 

A gust of wind. 

So strong Jeonghan closed his eyes. 

When he opened them, he saw them. 

Three. 

Three adult vampires in front of him. 

He didn’t have any doubts now, he just _knew_ , they were vampires and they looked… _so_ scary. 

Jeonghan was still frozen in place. 

One of them was holding Seungcheol from his jacket and even though Seungcheol kicked and fought and pushed, the vampire holding him seemed undeterred. 

“Let me _go_ ,” Seungcheol’s legs kept aimlessly kicking around, dangling from the floor. 

“Not that scared anymore, are you?” The other vampire said, looking at Seungcheol. 

“Think the human child might have gotten braver when he saw this one.” He tilted his heads towards Jeonghan. 

“Oh…” 

All three of them shared a look, trying to understand the situation. 

“So you weren’t planning on drinking _this_ ,” The vampire roughly tossed Seungcheol from one side to another, the boy swaying on his grasp. “Were you? You were _actually_ playing with him.” 

Jeonghan took a moment to realize that the last vampire was actually talking to him. 

Drinking Seungcheol’s blood. 

They thought Jeonghan would drink his blood.

What if… What if those vampires were looking for _food_? 

Jeonghan couldn’t speak, couldn’t _move_. 

Seungcheol was right there, trying to escape, but Jeonghan couldn’t do anything. 

His body wouldn’t respond. 

“Vampires befriending their meals? That’s a new one.” One of them said, causing the other two to laugh. 

They shared another one of _those_ looks. 

Jeonghan’s chest tightened, an unpleasant heavy feeling settling on his chest. 

“We should show him a lesson.” 

“We should.” 

“Leave him alone.” Seungcheol’s voice barely registered on Jeonghan’s ears. “Leave him alone!” 

He felt weird, it was hard to think, he couldn’t _move_. 

“Lesson is…” The vampire started, with a wicked smile. “Don’t play with your food.” 

“Let’s get this going.” The other one said, pulling out a- 

A knife pressing against Seungcheol’s wrist- 

_scream, blood, crying_

Jeonghan _still_ couldn’t move. 

Blood trickled down Seungcheol’s hand and his friend couldn’t stop crying, looking like he was about to pass out from the pain. 

He didn’t look like he wanted to keep fighting anymore, he was terrified, his body shaking all over. 

“ _Jeonghan_.” Seungcheol whimpered. 

“Come on,” and just then, the vampire flicked his fingers and Jeonghan fell forward. 

Pain flared from his hands and knees, but Jeonghan didn’t care. 

He finally understood. 

Had the vampire been using his powers on him from the beginning? 

Jeonghan clumsily scrambled to his feet, eyes glued to Seungcheol. 

He could do anything now. 

He could go and get help, he could try and and use his speed, take Seungcheol’s hand.

_red_

_warm_

He could only focus on the blood dripping from Seungcheol’s hand though.

_warm_

_thirsty_

_he was so thirsty_

“Jeonghan.” Seungcheol shied away from him, and Jeonghan didn’t even know _when_ he started to walk towards them. 

Did Seungcheol look that scared before?

Was he scared of Jeonghan?

“Come on, little half-blood, go get your food.” 

_half blood?_

Jeonghan was helpless. 

He knew he wasn’t supposed to drink someone’s blood, but it was like he couldn’t focus on anything else, the way drops of blood were falling to the floor, it made him dizzy with hunger. 

He didn’t even notice when he made it even closer, Seungcheol’s lips moved and Jeonghan barely registered a small broken _jeonghan, please, dont_ , but he still approached to them. 

He couldn’t _stop_ himself. 

Somebody please help him. 

Otherwise… 

Seungcheol’s eyes were brimming with tears now, thrashing against the vampire’s grip. 

_he couldnt drink seungcheol’s blood_

_dont hurt your friends_

_we dont kill humans_

_dont hurt your friends_

_father had said that_

_not your food_

He was _so_ close. 

“ _Dad_ ,” Jeonghan whimpered brokenly, closing his eyes.   
  
  
  


Gust of wind. 

  
  
  
  
  


Noise. 

  
  
  
  
  


Silence.

  
  
  
  
  


Leaves crunching. 

  
  
  
  
  


“Did we hurt you, love?” 

That voice. 

Jeonghan didn’t dare to open his eyes, feeling a gentle hand against his forehead, as if mom was covering his eyes. 

“Mom,” Jeonghan whispered weakly, a sudden feeling of exhaustion making him lose balance. 

_they were safe_

Mom was right by his side to catch him, wrapping her arm around his waist. 

Everything felt fuzzy.

He couldn’t hear the vampires anymore.

_seungcheol, seungcheol, seungcheol_

“Mom,” He wanted to ask, but everything was spinning. 

_leaves, blood, laughter_

Was Seungcheol okay? 

“Shhh, it’s okay, love.” Mom whispered, and then Jeonghan was floating.

Mom had him on her arms and then _speed_.

Cold wind against his cheeks. 

_home_

They were going home.

“We’ve got you.” 

Jeonghan’s head had only gotten a little clearer as they made it to their house.

And he could finally see Seungcheol on his father’s arms, he looked _so_ tiny, holding his bloody wrist against his chest as he cried. 

As soon as Jeonghan’s mom set him on the floor, the vampire approached to his friend. 

“Seungcheol… I…” _sorry_ _for scaring you_. 

As Jeonghan’s father tried to set Seungcheol down though, the boy clung to him, a haunted expression on his eyes. 

“No, no, no, _no_.” Seungcheol’s eyes weren’t even _on_ him, he just looked spooked, breathing heavy and tears running down his cheeks. 

“Seungcheol…” Jeonghan tried again, reaching out with his hand. 

“Jeonghan, give him a moment.” His mom said, placing a hand on his shoulder to stop him. 

Jeonghan couldn’t stop looking at Seungcheol though.

He looked _so_ scared. 

And it was all his fault.

He had scared him, he had made him think he’d drink his blood. 

The worst thing was that maybe if his parents had arrived… maybe he’d have… 

“No, no, plea- _please_ , don’t-don’t come any closer.” Seungcheol whimpered, voice breaking as he buried even more on Jeonghan’s dad’s chest. “Please, _please_ , no.” 

“Seungcheol…” Jeonghan whispered again, a deep feeling of sorrow settling on his stomach, making his own eyes brim with tears. 

He was the worst. 

Seungcheol was his only friend in the whole world… how could this happen? 


	8. Interlude: Part 2.

Jeonghan woke up with a start. 

_no, please, don’t come any closer_

Flashes of blood, vampires’ laughter, and a teary-eyed Seungcheol rushed to his mind and he covered his eyes, a heavy feeling on his chest. 

Was that real? 

Did someone really hurt Seungcheol?

He looked around, realizing he was in his room. 

Had he fallen asleep? Vampires rarely did. 

His feet quickly took him to the living room, frantically looking around, Seungcheol had been _bleeding_ , but there weren’t any traces of blood on the floor, and Seungcheol wasn’t here, maybe father had taken him home, but Seungcheol had been crying too, he had been scared of Jeonghan, what would he do now, what-

“Jeonghan?” Mom’s voice interrupted his anxious thoughts, and just like that, Jeonghan’s eyes filled with tears. “Are you okay?” 

Jeonghan hadn’t even noticed he was shaking until he started walking towards his parents’ room, mom must have felt his distress. 

“Mom,” When the word left his mouth, it was in the form of a whimper, his chest heaving as he tried to speak. 

As soon as he entered the room, mom looked up from the book she was reading, concern showing on her features as she patted the bed. 

“Love, what is it?” She asked gently, and Jeonghan all but crashed into her, fitting into her lap instead of next to her.

His mind was racing, his head and chest hurt. 

_blood, tears, seungcheol, vampires, forest_

_please dont come any closer_

"Mom, make it better, please?" Jeonghan whispered, burying his head on his mother's neck, arms wrapped tight around her. 

He felt helpless, empty, and overall weird. 

He didn’t like this.

Was that a dream? 

It couldn’t. 

It was _so_ real. 

“Did… did some-someone attack us?” He asked, voice shaky. “We-we were playing in the fo-forest and-” 

Mom caressed his hair, pulling him close. 

“What are you talking about, Jeonghan?” She asked, sounding actually curious.

It was a dream, a dream, it couldn’t be a dream though, vampires didn’t- 

“I… I think I dreamed something.” 

“Vampires don’t dream, Jeonghan.” She said softly.

“I know we don’t… but I did.” Jeonghan’s voice broke again, clinging to his mother even more. “I was… playing with Seungcheol, and… and then he was _gone_ . And three vampires were there, and they cut his arm, and they wanted to hurt him, they wanted _me_ to hurt him, and… and I couldn’t do anything to protect him, and he cried, and I couldn’t… I couldn’t help.” 

A sob. 

Then Jeonghan started crying again, clinging to his mother. 

He faintly felt a hand petting his hair, but he couldn’t focus, everything _hurt_ , his stomach was twisting unpleasantly and there was this knot on his throat that wouldn’t go away. 

“They were going to… make me… drink his blood and I tried not to, but… I-I couldn’t resist and then-” 

Mom held him a little tighter, protective. 

“It felt so _real_ , I was _there_ , I saw… I-I can even remember how Seungcheol’s blood smelled like and the way they-they looked. Father and you-you arrived, but… but-” 

“Jeonghan…” 

“Mommy,” He buried himself impossibly closer to her, he couldn’t get enough comfort, he felt like something really bad would happen if he let go.

They’d be in danger.

Seungcheol would be in danger. 

They’d die. 

He’d _die_. 

“Love, I’m here.” 

The reminder would usually bring him comfort, but this time… 

“My head hurts,” Jeonghan whimpered.

“Get some rest, okay?” Mom ordered, but Jeonghan shook his head, desperate to have her close. If he let go now, who knows what would happen, he needed to stay with her. “Close your eyes for a second, darling.” 

As soon as he did, his mind brought him another memory of the dream. 

_come on little half-blood go get your food_

“Am… am I a half blood?” He asked.

He didn’t even know what a half blood meant… but both of his parents were vampires, so it didn’t make any sense? 

They had meant it as an insult, but- 

_Ugh._

So much was already going on in Jeonghan’s head, that he groaned once more, feeling another wave of throbbing pain on the back of his head. 

His mom went quiet, caressing his hair, until Jeonghan started to feel sleepy once more, he barely managed to wonder if mom was using her powers on him so he’d rest, but… 

Then all went dark. 

***

He hadn’t even managed to take off his coat, when a sense of dread settled on his chest. 

Their house was silent.

And that was never a good sign. 

He could already feel his wife and child’s presences on their main bedroom, so at least he knew that Jeonghan wasn’t wandering around… 

“You two okay?” He asked as he entered the room, he still looked around, wanting to stay alert just in case. 

He had had a bad feeling since this morning, but he couldn’t place it… 

“Jeonghan told me he just dreamed something.” His wife said softly as he caressed their son’s hair. 

The boy seemed to be fast asleep, head on his mother’s lap. 

There were traces of dried tears on his face, and the vampire immediately worried.

“A dream...” He slowly sat down on the bed, next to his spouse and child and reached out to her to place a kiss on her cheek, to say hello. “Is he okay?” 

Both of the vampires shared a moment of silence, looking down at Jeonghan. 

“Vampires don’t dream.” He stated, then he looked at his wife, frowning a little. “Or do we?” 

“We don’t.” 

Okay. 

So if it wasn’t a dream, and it had caused Jeonghan this much distress… 

“We’re both thinking the same, aren’t we?” 

His wife hummed, stopping his caresses to look at him instead. 

“We are,” She agreed. “It’s his manifestation.” 

Both of them went silent again, trying to weight on the implications of that statement. 

Their eight year old son had already showed his manifestation. 

And of all the manifestations, clairvoyance. 

It was fitting for their son, he was so _damn_ curious about everything. 

Of course he’d be able to see the future. 

This was… dangerous. 

Worrying. 

“He’s so young," He commented, eyes fixed on their child. "When did you get yours?” 

“Mm, I had just stopped aging, around twenty?” 

He tried not to let panic get the best of him, reaching out to run a gentle hand through their son’s hair. 

This was _not_ good. 

“We can’t tell him it’s his manifestation just yet.” She said, and he knew that lying to their child wasn’t usually an option, but this was different, if he didn’t know, then they could protect him.

“We can’t.” 

Not yet at least… 

“What did he see?” He asked, then his wife explained what she had caught of the “dream”. Jeonghan had been so upset that she had missed some parts, but he got the idea. 

He didn’t know which part appalled him the most. 

Vampires finding out where they all lived. 

Vampires _knowing_ Jeonghan’s origins. 

Jeonghan being exposed to a human’s fresh blood for the first time in his life. 

Jeonghan being a step away from killing his only friend. 

It was all a mess. 

“His human friend, he’s… really attached to him.” She mused, going back to petting their son’s hair. “Their bond is already strong enough to trigger Jeonghan’s manifestation.” 

The boy’s dimpled smile appeared on his memories. 

He seemed sweet and genuinely nice, but…

“His human friend.” He whispered, tone apprehensive.

He heard a sigh coming from his wife. 

“Not all humans are bad, you know?” 

“Yes, but-” 

“That’s how I met you, remember?” She gently nudged his shoulder. 

And of course, how could he forget?

But times had changed. 

It wasn’t the same anymore. 

“We need to protect him.” He said instead, lips pursed. Their boy looked _so_ innocent, long eyelashes framing his face, his fist tight on the covers, he was still _so_ vulnerable. “We’ve got to keep him safe.” 

The rest went unsaid.

He wouldn’t be safe if he kept exposing himself to the human world. 

He was already starting to regret giving Jeonghan more freedom, when his wife interrupted his thoughts. 

“And we will.” She assured him. 

And he wanted to believe her. 

He _had_ to. 


	9. Dinner.

“Wait.” 

Seungcheol frowned a little, tilting his head as he looked at Jeonghan.

Had he heard correctly?

“You heard me.” Jeonghan confirmed, with crossed arms and mischievous smile. 

Oh. 

Okay then. 

“You’re actually inviting me to have _dinner_? At your house?” Seungcheol asked, cheeks blushing despite himself. 

He didn’t know _why_ , but the thought of going to Jeonghan’s house made him nervous. 

He had learned that Jeonghan had a mom. 

And a dad. 

( _Duh_ ). 

Just like he had. 

Would Jeonghan’s mom be like his? 

Probably not. 

Jeonghan’s mom _did_ let Jeonghan play in the forest, he even let him visit him as he was grounded! 

She was _so_ cool. 

(His mom was _not_ , she’d make him eat all the veggies). 

“If you don’t want to, then it’s okay…” Jeonghan started, interrupting Seungcheol’s thoughts. His friend was pouting and Seungcheol rushed to reassure. 

“Wait, no, it’s not that!” 

It was just… Seungcheol didn’t know how to say it, but Jeonghan had been acting _so_ weird these days. 

Seungcheol would say that they’d play in the forest, but Jeonghan seemed scared. 

And Jeonghan didn’t get scared easily! 

He wasn’t scared of the dark. Or bloody things (like Seungcheol was). Or from wolves! 

And! 

And even though Seungcheol had asked, Jeonghan had said that everything was okay, that he wasn’t worried about anything… 

And now _this_. 

“It’s just…” He started, _you seem scared about something_. “I just… have to ask my mom for permission first,” He whispered in the end, feeling bad for lying. 

“Oh… that’s okay.” Jeonghan seemed to light up, smiling at him and oh, that made Seungcheol feel a little better. 

Jeonghan smiling was reassuring. 

He didn’t want to ruin things with Jeonghan, he was his only friend in the whole wide world! 

“I don’t think she’s going to say yes…” Seungcheol started, sheepishly. Just because he didn’t want to raise Jeonghan’s expectations. 

Or his own.

His mom would probably remind him he was grounded and that his grades weren’t good and he didn’t deserve to- 

“You don’t have to worry about that. Father already talked to her.” Jeonghan told him, with a shrug. “They met at the store.” 

Wait. 

What? 

“I didn’t know my mom knew your dad…” Seungcheol frowned. 

Did _he_ know Jeonghan’s dad too? 

“Ah, of course they do.” Jeonghan added, with another shrug. “You know, Father works at the hospital, everyone knows him.” 

Oh. 

Okay. 

That made sense! 

“Yeah, just remind her, you know,” Jeonghan instructed. “Tell her: _mom, I’ll be having dinner with my friend tonight_ , she’ll know what you mean.” 

Oh. 

That was easier than he had expected. 

Then Seungcheol had no reason to say no! 

“Cool,” He smiled, finally relaxing. “So is it today?” 

Jeonghan nodded, looking excited too. 

And Seungcheol’s worries just disappeared. 

Well. 

All of them except one. 

“Hey, Jeonghan…” He started, because this wasn’t the first time he had thought about his friend’s house, and this made him a little nervous, so he needed to ask! “Do you really... sleep in a coffin?” 

A beat of silence. 

“What? _No!_ ” Jeonghan playfully shoved him. 

Then both of them burst into laughter. 

*

Jeonghan’s house was in the middle of the forest. 

Seungcheol didn’t exactly remember _how_ he got here, everything had been confusing since he said what Jeonghan had told him to his mom and mom had gone _okay, have a good time_.

Weird. 

It was weird. 

But Seungcheol was happy to go to Jeonghan’s house. 

Would he have any toys? 

Maybe Seungcheol should have brought his board games… 

Did Jeonghan even like board games? 

He knew his friends in school didn’t, because they made fun of Seungcheol for even suggesting playing them. 

And Seungcheol couldn’t play all by himself. 

He needed at least one more person...

As they finally approached to the entrance, Seungcheol tilted his head a little. 

It was from afar and of course those adults standing there were Jeonghan’s parents, but Jeonghan’s dad really looked like...

“Oh, you’re-” Seungcheol started, eyes widening in recognition as he pointed at him. 

But then Jeonghan’s dad just _looked_ at him and Seungcheol forgot what he was about to say. 

Weird. 

“Father, Seungcheol was about to say something,” Jeonghan pouted, tugging at the adult’s sleeve. “What did you do?” 

“I don’t know what you’re talking about, darling.” Jeonghan’s father said, sounding amused and okay, Seungcheol didn’t really understand what was going on now. 

This family was… strange. 

“Come on in, love, we don’t want you to catch a cold.” 

Oh. 

Right. 

Jeonghan’s mom was looking at him, but Seungcheol had to look down. 

She was _so_ pretty. 

“I… I’m okay, I’m not cold.” He whispered, not wanting to embarrass himself. 

Jeonghan looked between his mom and friend and pouted a little, tugging at Seungcheol’s sleeve until he’d look at him again.

The thought of Jeonghan being a little jealous of Seungcheol interacting with someone else crossed his mind, but then Seungcheol was quickly bowing as Jeonghan literally dragged him… somewhere inside the house. 

“Come on, Seungcheol, I’ll show you my room!” 

Seungcheol mumbled an apology to Jeonghan’s parents (they looked amused, not mad, so yay!) and followed. 

This was fun! 

*

They were all sitting in the dinner table. 

Jeonghan's house was _huge_ , so pretty, like the ones Seungcheol only saw in movies. 

It had a lot of rooms and space, yet the house didn’t have so much stuff? 

Seungcheol wondered if maybe they moved a lot. 

“I didn’t… introduce myself properly,” He started shyly, because if mom knew he had just barged in like this, she’d scold him. It was late now, he had been here for line an hour or so, but still. “My name is Choi Seungcheol.”

Jeonghan nodded, giving him an encouraging smile. 

“Um… I’m eight.”

And that was it.

He didn’t know what else to say. 

From the way all three of them were looking at him curiously, Seungcheol just wanted to curl himself into a ball, pressing his lips into a thin line as he thought what to say next.

Did age really matter to them? 

They were vampires! 

Vampires didn’t age! 

(And they didn’t sleep in coffins, Jeonghan just had a regular bed). 

“But I’ll be nine on August!” He added quickly, when no one replied. He didn’t want them to think he was a _baby_ as his grandmother still called him! He was big! 

“That’s wonderful, Seungcheol.” Jeonghan’s mom commented, her smile so kind it made Seungcheol’s cheeks burn. 

She was _so_ pretty. 

His own mom was pretty too, but Jeonghan’s mom, she was like an angel. 

Seungcheol couldn’t look at her in the eye without getting nervous. 

And well, Jeonghan’s dad, he just looked exactly like Jeonghan but older. 

He seemed scary at first (Seungcheol was sure he knew him from somewhere? Although he didn’t exactly remember), but from time to time he’d reach out to hold his wife’s hand, sharing a smile and it made Seungcheol’s heart warm. 

They seemed happy. 

He liked Jeonghan’s family. 

However, he realized that there would be an awkward moment eventually.

Nobody had food on their plates but him and Seungcheol’s cheeks were burning as he scooped a mouthful of rice and munched on it as quickly as he could without choking. 

He was the only one eating and he felt like all of them were looking at him. 

“So…” He whispered, his hands fidgety under the table. “You don’t… eat? No human food at all?” 

The rice was yummy and there was a bunch of food that smelled really good and looked tasty, but he was so shy and mom always told him he took too long to eat, the food getting cold before he’d finish.

He didn’t want to give Jeonghan’s parents the wrong impression. 

Suddenly he didn’t feel that hungry anymore, he just wished everyone was eating too, he didn’t like the focus being on him.

“Not really.” 

“Oh.” 

Jeonghan jumped from his seat and came back a few moments later, holding a few kitchen utensils as he sat back down. 

Okay… 

Jeonghan was bouncing a little on his chair as he displayed all the things on the table. 

“We don’t eat human food, but! But Father bought me this curly straw the other day, it’s so cool. He said he’d get me a few more in different colors next week. Oh, and once I tried to use chopsticks, it was fun, but it was _so_ hard so I gave up.” He explained and Seungcheol couldn’t help but smile at his friend’s excitement. It was cute. “However, this one is my favorite! It’s a spoon!” 

A spoon?

“I carry it everywhere, you don’t know when you might need one.” Jeonghan said seriously and Seungcheol just nodded solemnly too. 

Dessert time could be anywhere at anytime, he needed to be prepared. 

Not like Jeonghan would eat dessert, but if it made him happy. 

Then Jeonghan’s mom interrupted Jeonghan’s excited chatter with a gentle _love, let Seungcheol eat some food_ , so Seungcheol took the chance and ate a spoonful of every dish (there were like _five_ , he couldn’t eat that much anyways). 

“Mom, but he’s done now,” Jeonghan whined and Seungcheol just now realized he had never seen his friend so excited. About anything. It made him feel special, because Jeonghan wanted to make the best of this opportunity. “Aren’t you done, Seungcheol?” 

Seungcheol was mid-chew but still nodded. 

Jeonghan’s dad laughed at the whole situation and Seungcheol just worried about swallowing and wiping at his mouth with a napkin, because it seemed like Jeonghan wanted to leave soon. 

“Okay, you already met him, right?” Jeonghan asked impatiently, and Seungcheol parted his lips, mumbling a small _thank you for the food_. “Can we go play now, please, please, _please_?” 

Then it registered. 

Jeonghan's parents wanted to meet him? 

Why? 

He had thought that Jeonghan wanted to show him his room and that was the reason he got invited, but why would Jeonghan’s parents want to meet him?

“Okay, you can leave.” Jeonghan’s father conceded, with a sigh. 

Seungcheol wished his mom would say yes to playing _that_ fast, it’d be amazing! 

“Be safe and have fun, love.” Jeonghan’s mom added. 

Jeonghan was up in a second, taking Seungcheol’s wrist and running outside. 

*

They decided to play hide-and-seek. 

Luckily it hadn’t gone dark yet and it was _perfect_. 

As Jeonghan kept approaching to their usual spot, his chest started to fill with a sense of dread.

But why? 

Everything was okay. 

Dinner had gone well! 

His parents seemed to like Seungcheol, then… then why would Jeonghan feel worried?

Why did he feel _scared?_

Seungcheol was right behind the rock, he always hid on the same spot. 

Had Jeonghan even counted? He couldn’t think, noise on his ears, his stomach twisting uncomfortably, his head hurt. 

It was so sudden.

Things were okay like fifteen minutes ago. 

Why?

_look what we’ve got here_

He covered his ears, vampires’ laughter, gust of wind. 

_not that scared anymore, are you_

Couldn’t move, couldn’t help. 

_jeonghan please don’t_

Seungcheol’s scream. 

Then everything _clicked_.

This was his dream.

The scenery, both of them playing. 

Jeonghan immediately called out for Seungcheol, eyes darting around.

This was the part where they had taken Seungcheol.

No, no, no, _no_ , please, don’t take him, not Seungcheol.

He turned, looked, called- 

Then he saw him, fog dissipating in his head, his friend was _here_ , he couldn’t hear anyone else around them.

Seungcheol was safe. 

Seungcheol was _safe_. 

“Ow,” Seungcheol winced and just then Jeonghan realized he had pulled him into a tight hug. “What happened? Don’t you want to play anymore?” 

Jeonghan tried to swallow the sudden lump that had formed on his throat at the thought of something really _bad_ happening to Seungcheol. 

But he was here, Jeonghan was holding him. 

He felt so relieved. 

“I…” He shook his head, pulling back from the hug and just smiling, hoping he didn’t make him uncomfortable. “I’m just… really happy you came to my house and ate dinner, you know?” 

Seungcheol didn’t seem fully convinced, but after a few seconds, he smiled, dimples showing. 

“Oh, I see.” Seungcheol said. “It was really fun too. Your parents are so cool and your room is so big, bet we could play hide-and-seek there too!” 

Jeonghan wasn’t even registering Seungcheol’s words. 

He was just trying to digest everything. 

For a moment he thought the bad things would happen, but they didn’t.

No vampires. 

No attack. 

The dream wasn’t real. 

It didn’t happen.

Seungcheol was okay. 

They were okay. 

*

_Jeonghan didn’t know how to ask this._

_How did he ask his parents about his dream?_

_How could he explain it?_

_It was so weird, he didn’t understand it himself._

_Seungcheol was safe, he was okay, he was back home, no vampires had attacked them today._

_After he had the dream he had wondered how did his parents know where they were and… today, he faintly wondered if his parents knew how things would go._

_He felt_ weird _._

_He was confused._

_As quietly as he could, he walked to his parents’ bedroom._

_Truth was, he didn’t want to be alone right now._

_“Hi,” He whispered, as he made his way inside._

_His mom was reading a book and his father was just lying next to her, they were quietly talking._

_Both of them smiled when he appeared._

_“Did you have fun with your friend today, love?” Mom asked, scooting over so Jeonghan would sit next to her._

_Jeonghan did._

_The bed was huge and even though Jeonghan had never been one to sleep in his parents’ bedroom, today he kind of wanted to._

_He decided he wouldn’t feel brave enough to say what he wanted to say unless he’d say it right away._

_So he did._

_“Today… after I went to play with Seungcheol,” Jeonghan started, voice small. “The dream… the things that happened, it was like… I felt like they were about to happen?”_

_His parents remained in silence, but mom put her book down and father reached out to place a hand on his shoulder._

_It made him feel a little better._

_“In my dream you arrived to save us, but today, the vampires never attacked us. I just… I just_ know _it was today. How could that be? It felt so real, I felt like it was about to happen, but it didn’t… it’s like I dreamed about it, but then it changed. I don’t understand.”_

_He finished with a whimper, his head pulsing._

_“If I think about it, it hurts.” Jeonghan covered his face for a moment. “My chest, my head, my stomach. Everything hurts. It’s so real, it feels so real.”_

_His parents exchanged a glance._

_“Jeonghan, love.” His mom started, reaching out to place her hand on Jeonghan’s cheek. “It didn’t happen, it was just a dream.”_

_Jeonghan shook his head, no, it couldn’t be a dream._

_Dreams weren’t real!_

_What else though?_

_“But mom,” He whined. “It happened, it really did, I saw Seungcheol and he had disappeared, but… but I didn’t get to save him, but now it’s like the vampires never found us in the first place.”_

_“I believe you, love. Of course I do.” She fixed his hair, a fond expression on her eyes. “Just… don’t worry about it, okay?”_

_Jeonghan felt like crying._

_How couldn’t he worry?_

_“What if… what if the dreams happen again?”_

_He had been so scared when he woke up, his head hurt, the place where his beating heart would be hurt too._

_Just remembering the sensation made him burrow a little closer to his mom._

_“They won’t.”_

_“But mom-”_

_How could mom be sure!_

_She wasn’t! She couldn’t!_

_“They won’t happen again, not if your father and I are here,” Mom said, gently pulling him into an embrace._

_Jeonghan closed his eyes and leaned against his mother’s chest, relaxing a little._

_Only a little._

_Mother and father never lied to him._

_But today, it felt like they did._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hi!  
> thank you everyone for working so hard during this comeback! love you all <3 and i hope you enjoyed this chapter.


	10. Rules.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Mentions of (mild) injury, multiple mentions of blood.

Jeonghan knew he had a set of rules. 

He knew them by heart. 

He recited all of them before leaving the house every morning. 

_one human friend, cannot go to the school nor the town, only play in the forest during the day, if anyone sees him tell mom and dad, always having dinner before meeting human friend, can’t tell anyone i’m a vampire_

And the consequence of breaking them: 

_we’ll leave this town if i do, i’ll never see seungcheol again_

Months had passed since he had started playing with Seungcheol and since he had had that… dream. 

Things had gone well, he had never been _seen_. He was so careful. 

_They_ were so careful. 

… 

Until they weren’t. 

*

Jeonghan felt a strong urge to protect Seungcheol. 

He still got picked on in school.

(Even though those kids wouldn’t _dare_ to come near him). 

Jeonghan learned that Seungcheol cried a lot too. 

Cried when mom scolded him, cried even more when dad scolded him, cried when he did poorly in math, cried when he found a puppy and parents wouldn’t let him keep her, cried when they found a bird nest on the floor, eggs shattered. 

Cried when he was too happy, and when he got too overwhelmed. 

One time Jeonghan got hurt as they were playing and _Seungcheol_ cried instead. 

Jeonghan always watched Seungcheol. 

Mostly because he was his friend and someone needed to look after him! 

But also because what would happen to Seungcheol if Jeonghan wasn’t there? 

That had been exactly what had happened today. 

It was one of those days where they weren’t allowed to play. 

Seungcheol needed to be home because he had homework to do, but he had sneaked out for a few minutes to play in his backyard. 

He was all by himself, mom at the grocery store and dad at work.

Jeonghan was wandering around in the forest, being a _bit_ bored, knowing that they were miles away.

He had nothing to do if Seungcheol wasn’t around.

And it was even worse knowing that he could actually hear him! 

The sounds of Seungcheol’s movements low on his ears.

Like a whisper in the wind. 

Door opening, a ball bouncing, footsteps, giggle. 

Jeonghan thought that maybe he could sneak out too.

Convince Seungcheol to play with him. 

Just as he was considering the options, he faintly heard a _thud_. 

The sound awfully similar to that time he fell on the snow. 

A sense of dread settled on Jeonghan’s stomach and he tried to close his eyes, sharpening his hearing.

He couldn’t hear a thing.

Had Seungcheol tripped and fallen? 

He waited.

Maybe he hadn’t heard right.

Maybe it was just the sound of the ball against the wall.

But then he heard it.

A whimper. 

Jeonghan ran. 

He ran as fast as he could, using his speed. 

Seungcheol was all by himself, his house was located on a secluded spot, he didn’t have neighbors and those wouldn’t hear what Jeonghan had just heard. 

So he needed to get there soon.

Seungcheol was _so_ clumsy and he didn’t heal himself like Jeonghan did! 

He got sick all the time and he also got bruised a lot. 

Jeonghan didn’t really understand, but he really didn’t want to see his friend in pain.

Humans were _so_ fragile.

And his human friend was exactly like that. 

As soon as he went around the corner, entering Seungcheol’s backyard, his worst suspicions were proven true.

Seungcheol was on the floor, face down.

“No.” Jeonghan told himself. 

_he’s okay, he just fell_

“Seung-Seungcheol?” 

Luckily Seungcheol gently moved, arms pulling himself up with a whimper. 

And when Jeonghan _looked_ , he saw why.

Seungcheol had a gash on his temple, his forehead and hair and even eyelashes covered in blood. 

“Jeonghan?” Seungcheol asked, as if he couldn’t believe he was there. His eyes filled with tears and even more when he noticed his bloody hands, he flinched. “It-it hurts.” 

Jeonghan’s head started to spin, eyes fixed on the blood, dripping down Seungcheol’s chin. 

_blood, warm, tasty, red_

“It really hurts.” 

“You’re going to be okay,” Jeonghan replied, training his eyes elsewhere, this way he couldn’t see the blood, but he could smell it, taste it, it was _so_ close. 

“I-I fell.” 

Jeonghan figured.

“Is… is it bad?” Seungcheol’s hands were shaking as he reached out to touch his own face, but Jeonghan stopped him. His cheeks were a mix of blood, tears and dirt. 

He looked awful. 

“It’s going to be okay.” Jeonghan repeated, Seungcheol was blinked repeatedly, as if he was fighting to stay awake. 

The smell of blood made Jeonghan’s fangs ache in a way they had never before and he couldn’t even control them, as they pierced through his bottom lip.

 _not now_

Jeonghan covered his mouth as quickly as he could. 

He couldn’t get the image of Seungcheol’s blood out of his mind. 

For some reason, he felt thirsty. 

_You just ate_ , he said to himself. 

Seungcheol looked _scared_ , and Jeonghan thought of the dream, when he was about to drink Seungcheol’s blood.

_no, no, no, no, no_

“I don’t... feel okay.” Seungcheol whispered. 

Your head is covered in blood, Jeonghan wanted to say.

Jeonghan knew humans were fragile, and especially so with injuries like this. 

What if Seungcheol bled to death? 

Or what if he went to sleep and never woke up! 

Jeonghan could be exaggerating but he didn’t know. 

He needed to protect him. 

They were in the middle of nowhere, and Seungcheol had just hit his head. 

This wasn’t good. He needed to take him where other humans could take him to the hospital. 

Or maybe he needed to be quicker and take him himself. 

Okay. 

He would.

He wouldn’t be breaking any rules if no one saw him. 

Okay.

As gently as he could, he took Seungcheol in his arms.

“You look… funny,” Seungcheol whispered, head lolling against Jeonghan’s chest. 

He looked sleepy.

Jeonghan didn’t know much but he knew that people with injuries like that couldn’t fall asleep! 

Jeonghan did feel funny though, ears ringing, chest heaving, hungry.

He was _so_ hungry. 

“I’m going to take you to the hospital, yeah?” Jeonghan told him, voice straining. “You’re going to be okay.” 

He felt a small hum coming from Seungcheol’s lips, but once he looked down, his eyes were closed.

“Wait, Seungcheol.” He shook him a little on his hold, still moving as quickly as he could, he knew where the hospital was.

He knew he was breaking a rule.

But Seungcheol looked so pale, his hair all wet and sticky to his forehead with blood. 

What if he _died_?

“Stay awake,” He begged, but Seungcheol already seemed fast asleep.

A sense of dread started to pool in his stomach as Jeonghan ran faster, using his speed as he made it to the hospital. 

He hadn’t been seen.

Not at all.

It was close. 

Just a bit more. 

He glanced down at Seungcheol, who looked just as if he were taking a nap.

Why couldn’t he be more careful! 

What if Jeonghan wasn’t listening! 

Would he stay in his backyard until his mom arrived? Hours later? 

Ah, it was infuriating! 

As he finally made it to the building, Jeonghan stopped to get a decent breath in, searching for an open window, quietly sneaking in.

Seungcheol was breathing heavily.

Just like that day, where he had passed out on the snow. 

As quietly as he could, Jeonghan walked around until he found an empty row of seats on a corner and gently laid Seungcheol on it, he’d be seen there, he was sure he would. 

He’d get treatment.

He wouldn’t die. 

They wouldn’t let him die.

That was the use of hospitals, right?

On a bit of an impulse, he pressed a small kiss on the top of Seungcheol’s head, as his mom did whenever his head hurt and he turned to leave. 

But then he was met with a hallway and several doors.

He couldn’t remember how he entered the hospital.

Everything looked the same.

So he started walking, not too fast, not using his speed, but frantic.

Where was he, he needed to leave, go back to the forest, it was safe there. 

Jeonghan was turning on a corner when an impact sent him to the ground. 

“Oh, sorry, kid. You okay?” 

Jeonghan stayed on the floor, eyes wide.

He had just ran into a human.

More than one. 

“Hi there.” 

Oh _no_. 

“Who are you?” 

Jeonghan slowly turned, registering the sound of even more people. 

And he finally knew why. 

He was in the waiting room.

If Jeonghan did a quick count.

There were more than _thirty_ people. 

_cannot go to the town_

“I… I…” 

Oh, his parents would be _so_ mad, especially his dad. 

“You can’t be here all by yourself.” 

“What’s your name?” 

“What happened to you?” 

Jeonghan’s heart sank, wanting to hide.

They were looking at him, they knew he was a vampire, they had to know, of course they did, it was all over his face, were his fangs still out, he couldn’t _control_ them after Seungcheol- 

“Are you okay?”

“He looks so scared.”

“We should probably call someone.” 

“Where are your parents, kid?” 

Jeonghan couldn’t even move, he couldn’t use his speed, he had already been seen and now they were crowding him and talking to him and _looking_ at him. 

“He’s my son.” 

Jeonghan took a moment to recognize Father’s firm voice and then all the voices shut up, Jeonghan uncovered his ears, eyes watery as he looked up. 

Of course.

Father was on his shift. 

He should have tried to look for him first, he wouldn’t have been seen. 

Why didn’t he think of that? 

Father slowly came into view and people gave him space, he offered a hand but Jeonghan didn’t react at all. He couldn’t believe his dad was here. 

“But I thought your wife didn’t…” One of the nurses started and Jeonghan’s dad tugged on his hand a little harder, until Jeonghan easily stood up, hiding behind his dad.

“Ah, we just finished the adoption process.” Father explained, voice clear and firm, placing a hand on Jeonghan’s hair. “His health is not very good right now. He can’t leave the house, so he’s homeschooled.” 

Jeonghan squeezed his dad’s hand, tight, gripping it.

He felt so hopeless, so vulnerable.

He was scared.

He had been hiding for eight years and now this had happened. 

Father didn’t sound mad but he would be. 

He had broken the most important rule. 

“Say hi, Jeonghan,” Father said calmly, placing a hand on Jeonghan’s back, but Jeonghan refused to come out of his hiding place, anxiousness rising with every second spent on this hospital, surrounded by _humans_. “He’s still shy.” 

“Ah, how adorable.” 

“He really looks like you, Doctor Yoon.” 

“You should have told us you had such a cute son.” 

“He came by to drop my phone, I left it at home.” Father continued, but Jeonghan couldn’t move, he couldn’t _think_. “Come on, darling.”

And all the voices seemed to shush as Father led him away from the waiting room. 

*

As soon as they had found one vacant room, and Father had made sure all the curtains were closed and the door was locked, Jeonghan started wailing. 

“I’m sorry.” 

Jeonghan hadn’t even taken a seat, the events of today finally catching up on him, first Seungcheol getting hurt, and then he got _seen_ by so many people.

He had broken so many rules. 

But he didn’t mean to! 

He really didn’t. 

He misbehaved, _yes_ , but he didn’t want to stop seeing Seungcheol. 

“I’m _so_ sorry.” Jeonghan added, when Father didn’t reply, just stared. “I rui-ruined everything.” 

The room was spinning and he felt like he was about to fall, but his feet stayed stubbornly glued to his spot. 

“I… we’re… we’re going to have to leave right now and it’s-it’s all my fault.” 

“Stop,” He ordered, voice gentle and calm. Jeonghan shook his head, chest heaving. “Jeonghan, _stop_.” 

Father’s tone was firm, and it would usually work, but right now Jeonghan couldn’t stop crying.

Even though he tried. 

He couldn’t get the image of Seungcheol getting hurt of his head.

Then all the humans, just _looking_ at him.

They knew he was a vampire.

They had to know. 

“Jeonghan, stop.” 

“I’m so sorry, I’m _sorry_ , I never thought-” He hiccuped, furiously wiping the tears with his sleeve.

“Stop, Jeonghan.” Father repeated, kneeling to be at his height. “Look at me.” 

“I will never see Seung-Seungcheol a-again, and it’s all-all my fault.” 

“It was an accident, Jeonghan. I saw Seungcheol, he only hit his head, it was an accident.” Father said, and Jeonghan tried not to hyperventilate, his chest was starting to hurt. His head too. (His fangs had been aching for a while, but he tried not to think about that). “Jeonghan, _stop_.” 

“But… but,” Jeonghan started, eyes finally meeting his dad’s. He didn’t look mad at all. 

“I’m not scolding you, there’s nothing to be afraid of.” 

“But I… I messed up.”

They’d hurt him.

That was what some humans did, hurt people. 

“I’m right here, we won’t let anything happen to you.” Father assured him, as if he knew what Jeonghan was thinking. 

_they’re right outside_ , Jeonghan wanted to say, but he didn’t. 

“I… I had-had to come here, he-he got hurt and he cried,” Jeonghan whispered, his whole body shaking. “I didn’t-didn’t know what to do.” 

A beat of silence, Father’s hand reached out to caress his cheek. 

“You did good.” 

“What if-if he dies,” Jeonghan asked, sniffling. “He can do it, I know if he hits his head he can die.” 

“He won’t die.” 

“You… you promise?”

Father heaved a sigh. 

“I promise.” 

That made him feel a little relieved.

Seungcheol wouldn’t die.

He was being treated somewhere in this hospital.

And he’d be okay. 

Seungcheol would be okay. 

And Jeonghan’s father wasn’t mad.

Okay, that was good.

Very good. 

Then the room started to spin again. 

“I don’t feel okay,” Jeonghan whispered, swaying a little. Father held his arm, holding him in place. 

“Your clothes reek of blood.” 

Seungcheol’s blood, dripping on his shirt.

Warm, red, tasty. 

“It feels weird.”

“Yes.” Father confirmed. “Because you resisted.” 

Jeonghan thought that didn’t make sense at all, so when Father gently guided him to a stretcher, Jeonghan could only follow, slumping on it. 

The room stopped spinning for a second. 

“Your body is just confused, you were hungry and you didn’t drink anything.” Father commented, using his doctor’s voice. Jeonghan usually didn’t hear that tone, but sometimes Father got calls as he was at home, and he always sounded like this. “Can you walk?” 

Jeonghan shook his head, he felt so weak, limbs unresponsive as he tried to move. 

“Okay,” He stood up, heading to the door. “Wait here.” 

“Plea-please, dad, don’t leave.” Jeonghan tugged on his sleeve, desperate. He didn’t want to feel alone. He didn’t want to be alone with _humans_ , what if they hurt him. 

“I’ll be right back, you need something to drink.” 

“But dad,” Jeonghan whined, but Father only gave him a reassuring pat on the shoulder and then he was gone.

Jeonghan tried not to think of anything, he could hear what was going on, the multiple stimuli making his head feel all fuzzy again.

He had never been around so many people at once.

He covered his ears, suddenly overwhelmed. 

Heart beating, fork against plate, a beeping machine, laughter, crying, name calling, Seungcheol’s _mom_ \- 

“Open up.” 

Father’s voice. 

Jeonghan slowly opened his eyes, he didn’t even remember closing them. 

He gently uncovered his ears too, as Father nudged the straw against his parted lips. 

“You need to drink this now.” 

Jeonghan looked teary eyed still, and he shook his head.

He didn’t want to eat right now. 

“Come on, Jeonghan.” And if anything, father didn’t sound mad. Just a little tired. 

There was something else… 

Something he hadn’t told Father yet.

And he was ashamed of it. 

“What is it?”

“It…” Jeonghan took a deep shaky breath, feeling embarrassed to admit it. “It pierced my lip.” 

Father looked concerned as he tilted Jeonghan’s chin up, and Jeonghan finally parted his lips, his fangs were showing, sharp against the rest of his teeth. 

“They just-just stayed like that.” Jeonghan whispered, voice wavering as he started to cry again. “It’s so scary.” 

He looked younger, obediently sitting on the stretcher, both hands holding the blood bag as he didn’t dare to sip. 

“My darling, it’s okay.” Father whispered, pulling out a tissue from his pocket, he wiped his tears, blew his nose and pulled back with a small tiresome sigh. “Just… drink, okay? I already requested leaving early today. You can check on Seungcheol, and we’ll go home.” 

Tears were rolling down Jeonghan’s cheeks as he nodded, gently starting to sip the blood.

It didn’t sit well on his stomach, didn’t give him the usual warm feeling.

But he still did.

Because he really wanted to see Seungcheol and go home after. 

“There you go.” Father congratulated, running a hand through his hair. “It’s going to be okay.” 

And even though it didn’t feel like it would, Jeonghan tried to believe him. 

*

_Back at home, Jeonghan had fallen asleep again._

_A common occurrence since he had been spending more time with the human child._

_He had also been more emotional._

_Lively._

_As if the child’s emotions were slowly influencing him, becoming a part of Jeonghan’s nature too._

_The room was quiet as their heir slept, after being briefed on today's events, both parents had brought Jeonghan to the main bedroom, to keep an eye on him,_

_And he had fallen into deep slumber soon after._

_They didn’t even get to talk to him about anything._

_As she gently caressed Jeonghan’s hair, her husband re-entered the room._

_“He’s sleeping again.” He commented, voice carrying an edge of worry._

_“He looks cute,” She said instead. “So peaceful.”_

_Silence reigned in the room until the doctor finally sat back down, next to his wife and child._

_“Decisions have to be made.” She nodded, eyes fixed on Jeonghan’s. He was all curled up, looking like a baby. “Why did you let them see him? You could have just made them forget.”_

_“The way he’s bonded with the human child.” He started. “We… We can try and break it, but I don’t think it’ll work. Their bond triggered Jeonghan’s manifestation, today, even though Jeonghan got exposed to fresh human blood for the first time, he didn’t drink from him. He held back.”_

_Although that hadn’t been an answer to the question, somehow it still was._

_“He’s so.... human like, lately.” He added. “He’s always been a little human, I figured it was because of me. But now... “_

_“I know, love.” She placed a comforting hand over his husband’s, squeezing gently. “I see it too.”_

_For the first time since they had started talking, Jeonghan shifted a little, and his mom’s caresses stopped, luckily, he stayed asleep, cuddling closer to them both._

_“It’s a risk.”_

_“It is.”_

_And they both knew what they meant._

_Someone as little as an eight year old human child, having so much power over their son, it was dangerous._

_Their bond was potentially dangerous._

_At the same time, not any person could cause that on a vampire._

_They didn’t want to find out the consequences of separating both of them._

_They knew it could deeply hurt Jeonghan if they did._

_“Until he reaches adulthood, at the age of eighteen,” He stated, reaching out to place a hand on Jeonghan’s shoulder, a gentle caress. “Let’s stay until then.”_

_More people knowing Jeonghan’s existence was a risk in itself._

_But if people knew he was their son, they could protect them too._

_Maybe they could blend in now._

_Maybe Jeonghan would learn to control himself among humans, maybe he’d learn a bit about his powers._

_“Good,” She pressed a kiss against Jeonghan’s soft hair. “Ten more years.”_

_He took a deep breath, trying not to regret this decision._

_He had always been the most anxious one between the two._

_“Ten more years,” He confirmed._

_And he hoped they could keep Jeonghan safe until then._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter and we'll be done! thank you all for reading.


	11. You and me.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Content warning: implied physical abuse.

The forest. 

Their favorite place on earth. 

The only place that ever felt theirs and theirs only. 

The place where they met for the first time. 

They had laughed and cried and played here, it seemed like every important experience, every beautiful memory belonged here. 

Which was why, it made sense for them to be here at Seungcheol’s eighteen birthday. 

As soon as they met at their usual spot, Jeonghan couldn’t help but catch on Seungcheol’s hesitant walk, his eyes downcast. 

Jeonghan absolutely didn’t have to, but he used his speed, appearing in front of Seungcheol in a second. 

He felt a ghost of an emotion, twisting in his stomach, hot and angry. 

His worst suspicions were confirmed as he took a good look at Seungcheol's face. 

“They hurt you again.” Jeonghan whispered to himself, it wasn’t a question, no, and he tilted Seungcheol’s chin up, inspecting his busted lip. 

There was still dry blood on the corner of his mouth… 

He must have come here right away after it happened, and that should make Jeonghan feel at least a bit better, but _no_ , he couldn’t. 

Not when Seungcheol tried not to flinch under his gentle touch, because it must hurt. 

It must hurt a lot. 

Seungcheol only looked down, and Jeonghan _knew_ he'd brush it off, as he always did. 

“If you’d just let me-” Jeonghan started, his voice carrying an edge, knowing Seungcheol was being hurt and he was just letting it happen. 

He felt like he should do more. 

Seungcheol reached out, and yes, Jeonghan was the vampire, but in that moment, Seungcheol seemed to read Jeonghan’s thoughts. 

He gently cradled both of Jeonghan’s hands in his. 

“Hannie,” He started, all soft and Jeonghan hated this already. He knew what he’d say. “You don’t need to protect me.” 

Jeonghan looked down. 

They had had this conversation many times by now. 

“But I can-” 

“I know you can,” Seungcheol interrupted, with a small sigh. “I know you can, but… but I’d never put you in that position, I’d never-” 

“But I _want_ to.” Jeonghan insisted. 

Seungcheol’s expression softened, smiling fondly at Jeonghan, looking at him as if he hung every star in the sky. 

Jeonghan hated himself a little. 

How could Seungcheol look at him like that, treat him with such kindness, when he couldn’t protect Seungcheol? 

“I know.” Seungcheol squeezed his hands and let go. And just like this, Jeonghan knew that he was changing the subject. “I haven’t forgotten you punching Kyuhyun when I was in third grade.” 

There was no way to bring the topic back without causing them to quarrel, and Jeonghan tried to remind himself today was Seungcheol’s birthday. 

How much he treasured the silly date. 

(Vampires could celebrate endless birthdays, but if you only had a few dozens, he thought he’d appreciate them more). 

And it’d be a lie if Jeonghan said that he didn’t fall into memory lane as well. 

“Should have punched him harder.” He whispered, just to see Seungcheol smile some more. 

And it worked. 

“You broke his nose.” Seungcheol said, with a wince. 

“Should have been his front teeth too.” 

Seungcheol burst into laughter then. 

Ah, and that felt nice, even though Jeonghan couldn’t even begin to understand Seungcheol’s burdens.

He still didn’t understand why Jeonghan wouldn’t let him intervene. 

“I think it’s an important day today, huh?” Seungcheol started, having the nerve to look coy, when they knew exactly why they were here. 

Of course Jeonghan knew.

Seungcheol won’t ever let him forget. 

“Is it?” He teased him, just to get a small _hey_ , and Seungcheol shoving him away as he whined. 

It was easy when Seungcheol was like this, playful, innocent, so _young_. 

As if they were both eight year olds, back in the forest, playing hide and seek. 

“I did ask you, didn’t I?” Jeonghan started quietly. “The gift you wanted...” 

Seungcheol had said he didn’t want a thing at first, but Jeonghan knew it was a lie, Seungcheol loved presents. 

“Ah,” He pretended to consider. “So many choices.” 

Definitely an eight year old, Jeonghan rolled his eyes at his best friend’s antics. 

“What could a human even _want_ for his birthday?” 

The response he got was another pout, and even with the busted lip and everything, Jeonghan thought he looked cute. 

So he shoved him. 

“Stop pouting, you’re not a kid anymore!” 

But Seungcheol didn’t keep laughing as he always did, he didn’t play along. 

He just went… nostalgic? Eyes downcast again. 

Something unpleasant twisted in Jeonghan’s insides again, he hadn’t wanted to ruin the mood… but apparently he had done just that. 

“I just… I know it’s cheesy, you know?” Seungcheol started, and he _was_ cheesy, had always been. “I just wished… you’d stay with me.” 

Jeonghan parted his lips, his chest feeling tight with emotion at Seungcheol’s words. 

He felt _warm_ even though he knew it wasn’t possible. 

Had Seungcheol just _said_ that? For real? 

What did that even mean for them?

“I don’t have a forever the way you do, but… I still would like to, as long as you want me too?” Seungcheol ended with an awkward laugh, and Jeonghan knew why, he was bracing himself in case Jeonghan would say no. 

But how could he? If he adored him. 

His only friend. 

Jeonghan was just too stunned to speak. 

He couldn’t stop thinking about Seungcheol’s busted lip, the bruises he worked so hard to hide from Jeonghan, the way he wouldn’t let Jeonghan get involved in too much human stuff ( _humans are dangerous, i don’t want you to get hurt_ , he had said, very seriously, at the tender age of nine). 

They had come and gone, but in the end, they’d always meet in the forest. 

Just Jeonghan and Seungcheol. 

A vampire and a human. 

And unlike friendship. 

Only them. 

And truth was… 

There was so much Jeonghan wanted to say. 

Feelings buried deep. 

Mostly, Jeonghan was thankful. He couldn’t think how his life would have been without Seungcheol. 

Of course Jeonghan would give him forever. 

_Of course_. 

He would stay as long as Seungcheol wanted him to. 

At the same time though, they had a time limit and Jeonghan had never told this to Seungcheol, never told him that once he turned eighteen he’d have to leave, that was the deal he made with his parents. 

The only way for Jeonghan’s family to be safe. 

(Wasn’t Seungcheol his family also?)

Jeonghan didn’t dare to say that out loud, because it’d make it real. 

And he didn’t want to leave Seungcheol. 

Before giving his forever to Seungcheol, Jeonghan needed to know that he’d be safe, that was the priority, nothing else mattered if Seungcheol was safe and sound. 

“Seungcheol,” He started, reaching out to hold his hand. He didn’t want him to think he was saying _no_ , but he also needed to understand Jeongahn’s worry, his anxiousness. What if someday, Seungcheol got so hurt that he ended up dying? Jeonghan couldn’t even bear to think of that possibility. “We should-” _run away_. 

“Kiss me.” 

Everything seemed to stop then. 

Jeonghan blinked. 

Had he heard correctly?

“You heard me. You asked… what I wanted for my birthday.” Seungcheol sounded confident, but his hands were shaking, his whole face burning and his ears too. He was shy, and he seemed scared. Scared again of Jeonghan saying no. “A kiss. From you.” 

Oh. 

“You’re…” Jeonghan gulped, was it even possible for his throat to get dry? The way it did when he got hungry? He had learned to control himself around Seungcheol ages ago… so what was this feeling? “You’re messing with me, right?” 

There was a small moment of silence, and then Seungcheol cleared his throat, averting his eyes again. 

“I’m not.” 

“You’re not?” Jeonghan confirmed, just in case. 

Seungcheol shook his head. 

“You… have you ever kissed anyone?” Jeonghan asked, just because. 

Seungcheol was a romantic, everything held a motive with him, he always had a plan. He often talked about how his first date would be a picnic in the park, how he’d propose (at night, somewhere you could see the stars), he wanted a family, three boys and one girl.

He couldn’t possibly be asking for a kiss.

From Jeonghan. 

Unplanned. 

“I…” He seemed to think for a moment, his expression going dark for a moment, then he only looked down, shy again. “I haven’t.” 

Silence fell between them. 

“You don’t have to… if you don’t want to,” Seungcheol started, awkwardly. 

Jeonghan would be blushing if he could, his non-beating heart making its attempt to do somersaults in his chest. 

This time, Jeonghan tried to convey everything he wanted to say with his tone of voice, all the fondness, all the love, all the appreciation he felt for him: 

“I want to.” 

He wanted to do everything for Seungcheol. 

He’d kill those people who hurt him, who marked his pretty skin on purples and yellows. 

He would. 

If Seungcheol wouldn’t stop him. 

And he probably would. 

“You do?” Seungcheol asked, looking insecure. 

As if Jeonghan would deny him anything. 

How could Seungcheol be so oblivious?” 

“I do.” He confirmed, glad when Seungcheol’s shoulders relaxed a little. 

Seungcheol’s eyes were glazed over as he leaned in, and Jeonghan couldn’t help but to do the same.

He had always had this dream about being kissed by Seungcheol.

How he’d tuck his hair behind his ear, how he’d pull him close by the waist, the way his touch would be firm, but still so gentle. 

But now that it was actually happening, Jeonghan was the one to cup Seungcheol’s cheek, caress his cheekbone lovingly, his thumb hovering over the tiny scar on Seungcheol’s temple, the one from that fall years ago. 

He wanted to get lost in Seungcheol’s beautiful eyes. 

Wanted this moment to last forever. 

Wanted to cherish it. 

This might be the only chance he ever got to kiss Seungcheol. 

“Stay with me,” Seungcheol asked, begged, his warm breath tickling Jeonghan’s lips. 

“Yes.” Jeonghan whispered. “Always, _yes._ ” 

A shaky breath.

Seungcheol was sobbing now, lip split open, bruises peeking just above his t-shirt, and he looked _oh_ so vulnerable. 

Jeonghan wanted to protect him. 

Hold him. 

Love him. 

“Pro-promise?” 

“Promise,” Jeonghan assured him, leaning in to finally close the distance between their lips. 

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


Jeonghan woke himself with a start. 

He immediately gasped for air, a throbbing headache making his way through his skull. 

His hands flew to his forehead to hold his head, shield himself from the pain. 

The setting was familiar. 

He was in his room, he was okay.

Father and mom would probably be a room away. 

He’d know, he could usually hear them, feel them, but he couldn’t _think_ right now. 

It was a dream.

He had a dream, _again_. 

He recognized the feeling now.

But unlike his other dream… now he… 

There was this fuzzy feeling in his chest, his lips tingling. 

He reached out, pressing his fingers gently against them. 

If he closed his eyes and focused, he could still catch the piercing cold against his cheeks, crunching leaves, the gust of wind, Seungcheol’s perfume, Seungcheol’s bruises, his _warmth_ , Seungcheol’s lips- 

“Ugh, _gross_.” He made a face, scrunching up his nose. 

He had kissed someone on the lips! 

By choice. 

His best _friend_! 

Ugh! 

Who did that? 

Yes, he looked older, but kissing was _so_ gross! It’d be gross forever, he couldn’t think of a moment when kissing was a thing he’d willingly do! 

“Jeonghan!” 

He rubbed at his eyes, trying to distinguish if the faint sound was coming from inside his head, or Seungcheol was really out there somewhere, calling his name. 

Eight year old Seungcheol. 

_Eight year old_. 

“Jeonghan, come on, let’s play!” 

In a second, he was up, navigating his house with ease, remembering mom was out and dad was on his shift in the hospital. 

His mind was slowly but surely starting to work again. 

If they weren’t here… 

He didn’t have to ask for permission!

It’d be a lie if he said he didn’t use his speed to be outside quicker, he needed to see Seungcheol.

Needed to see him _now_. 

He couldn’t tell… he couldn’t tell the difference between that eighteen year old Seungcheol and this one, _his_ Seungcheol. 

The kid one.

Somehow he thought he needed to see him now, otherwise he’d forget how his tiny Seungcheol looked.

And he didn’t want to. 

Eighteen year old Seungcheol was so fresh in his mind, Jeonghan felt like crying.

He wondered if that Jeonghan… if _he_ had wanted to cry. 

As soon as he found his friend, he saw his back, he was piling up the leaves, (to jump on them after), and Jeonghan was even scared to ask him to turn around.

What if he was still dreaming? What if this wasn’t real at all?

“Jeonghan?” Seungcheol made that decision for him, and as if he sensed his hesitation, he turned, giving him a gummy smile. “Hi!” 

Then Jeonghan’s smile fell a little.

Confused still. 

“You have a cut…” 

_thumb hovering over the scar_

He brushed away the memory, shaking his head. 

Why couldn’t he remember if Seungcheol got that recently or not?

He remembered helping him out, taking him to the hospital, but… 

He wasn’t sure if that was yesterday, a week ago, or a year ago.

It was a scary feeling. 

“Yeah, it was only a few days, but you can already see the stitches without the bandages.” Seungcheol explained. “It hurt a lot, and mom said that big boys don’t cry, but I only cried a little, so it wasn’t so bad. And, and! And dad said I’ll have a scar, so I thought it’d be cool, because I can be a pirate for Halloween!” 

Jeonghan was only observing Seungcheol with parted lips, trying to commit this image to memory. 

This was his Seungcheol.

Not the other one, not the older one.

...

Or was he?

Would he get that Seungcheol later on?

Would _this_ Seungcheol turn into that one? 

Would he become the Jeonghan that fell in love with Seungcheol? That kissed him?

“You should totally be a vampire.” Seungcheol continued, totally oblivious to Jeonghan’s troubled thoughts. 

“I… yes… sure.” Jeonghan heaved a sigh, trying to match up Seungcheol’s energy. Play with him. Make him laugh. 

But he couldn’t… he kept thinking of the dream.

“Jeonghan?” 

Seungcheol was reaching out for him, eyes filled with worry, taking a hold of his wrist. 

_stay with me_

Jeonghan blinked, feeling invaded by this strange feeling.

Nostalgic. 

He felt warm all over, even more with Seungcheol pulling him close, but also… also as if he was scared.

As if Seungcheol would vanish if he didn’t do something. 

_please?_

“Come on, no need to be sad,” Seungcheol said, with a bright smile, although Jeonghan never mentioned being sad, never said anything about the dream. “Let’s go play. I’ve got a new idea about this game, it’s fun, you’ll like it. We have to run first, and jump afterwards and then-” 

_yes, always, yes_

Jeonghan cracked a smile. 

This was his Seungcheol.

His best friend. 

And if he had him ten years or twenty, or _forever_ , then he’d make the best out of it. 

“Okay.” Jeonghan agreed, smiling even more. 

And he followed Seungcheol into the forest. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's been a while, isn't it? I wasn't expecting to finish this today, but here we are. I hope you liked the ending!  
> Thank you everyone who read, and especially those who commented, every feedback on this made my day!
> 
> Also if you have any theories on 18yo Jeongcheol, that'd be fun too!


End file.
